


Breaking In

by Katherinehgt



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-25 14:55:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13837146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherinehgt/pseuds/Katherinehgt
Summary: Richard Castle, LAPD, considered himself very lucky, today. Of all the breaking and enterings he had been on in the past , this just had to be the best one yet. To Love and Die in LA - AU. Rated T to M.





	1. Chapter 1

Everything was stark white outside her window - if not for an occasional flock of birds curious enough to join the plane on its journey, making of the bird of steel and iron their newly found companion. Kate Beckett cast a swift sideways glance to _her_ own  companion of flight, whom she would gladly ditch; the stout, and bulky man crushing her against the window as he snored awfully loudly, his greasy face resting on the rounded bone of her shoulder. Her mouth twisted with something close to disgust as she looked away, the thin skin between her eyebrows pinched. So much for last minute tickets. She hoped it would be worth it, it had to be.

She tried to ignore the man currently drooling all over her, her eyes directed back to the clouds that started dissipating to reveal a wide sea of blue. Chewing on the inside of her lip, she let out a sigh as her fingers flexed around the letter Royce had written for her, vowed to herself she would only read it once she had the bastard behind bars.

The call had come sometime around 2am, and it had hit her like a blow, brutal, and sudden, so sudden.

_The moment she put a foot outside of her cruiser, she felt it - the heavy, suffocating atmosphere hanging in the air - or perhaps just over her. The place still crowded with uniforms, the too bright yellow tapes, the otherwise stillness all conspiring against her - her defenses surging to the bait. The erratic pounding of her heart bounced against the paper-thin walls of her inner ear as she strode toward where Esposito, and Montgomery as they spoke - a shadow of their own painted all over their faces. They looked at her as if expecting her to break, and she almost did there, and then. “Turn around, go back home, and let me handle this”. But instead, she took a short intake of breath, her hands shaking as she walked away from them and swung the yellow tape high above her head in a jerky move._

  _The sight of her former trainer Training Officer rooted her legs to the ground, the hitch in her breath finding an out through her convulsing throat in a croak that she smothered behind her hand. Vicious tears prickling in the corners of her eyes, and pooling there. All of a sudden, she lost all sense of her surroundings; the light, and fresh breeze that had tickled the skin at her nape gone, and replaced by a harsh stifling air that compelled her to zip her coat open so she could breathe - her own vision tunneling until he was the only form her eyes were able to latch on. She was merely aware of Lanie behind her, until the woman laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, honey.” She ducked her head, not knowing what to say- how to react; contradictory winds spiraling inside her into a raging whirlwind of emotions._

  _He had betrayed her. He had looked at her in the eye, and lied as if she had never meant anything to him- she probably hadn’t. Perhaps she had always been that desperate, and reckless kid in his eyes. Thirsty for revenge, and throwing all caution to the wind. But, he had been her savior, a long time ago. She had been drowning into her own illusions, her fragile and misplaced ambitions life-threatening, and self-destructive. She had been so young, and too easy to impress, and he had been the dry land she’d been looking for. He had been her friend, and she was tired of losing the people she loved_

_She walked to the lifeless shell of a man, her legs struggling to hold her dead weight. A man, one she could barely recognize as he laid there face down. She crouched slowly with measurable, though shuddering breaths, and let her eyes run over him softly, a clad finger grazing his hair in a last goodbye._

  _S_ _he morning after, Montgomery ordered her to go home the minute she stormed into his office ready for battle - because she knew what was gonna happen, and she wouldn’t have it. Not this time, not for this. His eyes were warm, and kind but firm as he voiced the order. “Absolutely not, this is too close to you. I am not sending you in LA. .You’re going home.” If anything, it triggered something in her, fierce and borderline childish, her blinders falling into place as she nodded away at his dismissal with a rigid set of her jaw. Then, she took flight; grabbed her leather jacket from her chair and flung it over her shoulder, headed for the elevator with stiff, calculated steps, long waves of brown bouncing on her shoulder blades in sync with each step._

  _She could feel all eyes on her._

  _But, he let her go, because of course he had seen it coming, probably only had given her an out before she could spiral down the drain. One she didn’t - and had never taken. She wasn’t stupid, albeit perhaps reckless and bullheaded, and he knew that. Though, he didn’t need to know that the only reason she went back to her place was to grab a duffel back with a weeks worth of -light- clothes and the bare minimum necessary to blend in before she fled to the airport._

And here she was, crushed between a stranger, and a window, on a plane to Los Angeles - alone, with only her backup piece, and a badge that held no power there.

* * *

 

She first headed to her hotel on Ventura Boulevard so she could change - she couldn’t lay under the radar looking like a _cop._ Luckily, she had planned everything even in her rush. The sun was harsh on her skin, the light hard on her eyes, but at least she had picked light enough outfits that still wouldn’t get in the way of a bit of action.

A few hours later, she ended up in front of Violet Young’s house in Beverly Hills. Royce had apparently been helping her, and she was nowhere to be found. Whatever it was about, she could be the key. She might not be, but she couldn’t _not_ look into it. Beckett looked around the property, watched for any sign that Violet could be home; except for her own rental car, there were no vehicles, from what she could see through the large windows, there was no one in. It was enough proof for her.

Rounding back to the door, she bent as she took a pin out of her pocket, and worked at the lock with defty fingers, felt more than heard it give way, her lips quirking up into a victorious smile.

“You tried knocking?” The snarky voice came from nowhere, her smile falling as she swore under her breath, her body frozen on the spot.

_Shit. Rookie move, shit._

Slowly, she angled her face to glimpse at who whoever that was. Figure out how she could play this.

_Fuck. Shit._

Her skilled eyes located the badge at his hip in a heartbeat, she was _screwed._ The tall, and broad guy was staring at her - or rather, at one particular part of her that just so happened to be jutting out, his eyes flicking from her ass, and up to her eyes with a too-smart arched eyebrow, and a smirk.

 _Oh for fuck’s sake._ She straightened up, and turned on her heels, raising her hands in the air as he still regarded her silently with his arms crossed on his chest; his forearms so thick, and strong that the navy blue of his summer jacket _strained_ around it- _Fuck._

He seemed to enjoy seeing her make a fool of herself, his eyes (so blue that she could see even from here) sparkling with a playful glint. He looked so _pleased_ , she couldn’t take anymore of this.

“Are you gonna arrest me, or are we gonna stand here all day?”

* * *

 

He laughed. She glared, a fierce thing that he was sure worked on the toughest scumbags. She was cute, but he wasn’t in the least impressed, and he let it show.

Richard Castle, LAPD, considered himself very lucky, today. Of all the breaking and enterings he had been on in the past , this just had to be the best one yet. He had received a call from a neighbor who had claimed she’d thought she’d seen someone walk around a house multiple times in a very suspicious way. Today had been surprisingly calm so far, and he had gladly swapped hours of paperwork for a little trip in Beverly Hills.

She really hadn’t been sly about it, he had seen through her little game from miles away - it’d been sloppy, and somehow, he could see on her face that she wasn’t used to that. Of course she wasn’t.

She’d caught him staring at her ass, but he honestly didn’t feel sorry. It’d just been...there, and he was a little bit sad when she stood up, and turned to face him. Although, her face was worth it; high defined cheekbones, a sharp jaw he almost longed to feel, a long cascade of warm chestnut waves that fell past her armpits in enticing waves, large eyes that were currently spitting fire. If he didn’t know better, he would think she was a model straight out of a magazine, or perhaps even a local actress. But he did know. He knew who she was, had received a second call even more interesting, one he fully intended on keeping to himself - for now.

Had he not known, he probably wouldn’t have told, even if she definitely knew what she was doing. She had a smartly put outfit that screamed _vacation time_ , but something in her eyes was telling him more, probably too much. Something shifty, and eager.

She was insanely gorgeous; the never-ending line of her legs elongated by the summer platform shoes, her ass tightly snug into chinos he couldn’t tell the color of (really, how could he have resisted?), the thin and long creamy summer jacket that cascaded down her figure, and that flashy blue top that allowed just the right amount of cleavage -  and he was staring, again.

He blinked and recovered quickly, his smug grin back in place. “Arrest you. I don’t know about that.” He saw her eyes flash with surprise, her eyes looking around as though looking for a camera. A laugh almost bubbled out of him, but he cleared his throat to cover it. Cute, and _funny -_ a woman after his own heart.

“You don’t know?” She asked with contempt, her eyes narrowing at him. He liked how expressive her face was, it encouraged him to keep the game on. But he had to be careful, she was _good._ She would see through him soon enough.

“I thought I heard screaming inside, didn’t you?” He said casually, craning his neck to take a look behind her, the door just barely pushed open. Her brows furrowed in confusion, and her mouth fell open.

“I- ah-”

“I think we should go in. You know, just to make sure,” he said as he walked toward, and past her with a serious face, all traces of a smile wiped out as if it’d never been there. He didn’t withdraw his weapon, didn’t really need to. But, he knew a way that would push her to blow her own cover.

“You’re serious.” She dead panned, stepping aside as he pushed the door wide open, saw her throw her hands in the corner of his eyes.

“Very. Behind me.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorted, both her eyebrows shooting up at him. He didn’t miss the slight quirk at the corners of her lips, though she schooled it fairly quickly. Oh he _liked_ her.

And.

“You’re a civilian, you’ve got to-”

“I’m _not_ ,” she spat out as if he had _hurt_ her pride. As if the idea alone of being a mere civilian was a concept she couldn’t assimilated herself with.

He spun on his heels, her face devoid of any emotion. He raised a triumphant eyebrow at her, let a slow smirk play along his lips. _Gotcha._

She stared at him for a moment, a fraction of second before her eyes narrowed dangerously at him. “You know who I am, don’t you?”

“Oh that I do, Detective Kate Beckett.” He smiled, big and wide, let himself enjoy it. Though, he saw something flinch in her eyes, it’d been slight - barely there. Like a spark of disappointment. Perhaps he’d have missed it if her whole body language hadn’t deflated along with it.

“Great,” she muttered tightly, her face angled away from him.

“Richard Castle, Robbery/Homicide,” he blurted out as he extended his arm, hand wide open in invitation. He thought perhaps he had played with her enough- she looked awfully dejected, and it stirred a surge of revolt within him. He hated to have caused this.

She remained silent for a beat, and he genuinely thought she would brush him off and leave right then. He saw her eyeing his hand from the corner of her eye, weighing her options silently. She bit her lip so hard he almost _winced,_ and gave him a short nod, her slim hand nesting in his like a wary bird that he cradled with caution. “How do you know?”

He relished in the warmth of her smooth skin, his finger curling instantly as his heart skipped a beat. Their eyes met for a moment too long, and she snatched her hand back while he turned his back on her and stepped inside the villa, used that moment to catch his breath.

“I received a call from your captain, Montgomery is it?” He closed the door behind her, turned to face her soon enough to see her face fall, eyes dropping to the ground in a sign of shame that didn’t suit her in the least. “I’ve got to warn you, he sounded seriously pissed. I wouldn’t like to be you.”

She shot him a dark, hard look that cut right through him, and made the hair at his nape stand. He’d have backed out if there wasn’t something so fragile mixed with the anger. Anger that wasn’t directed at him- but at herself.

She’d disappointed her Captain. She had broken the rules, yes, but there was no pride in it. He could tell she was _not_ one to overlook protocole. And while he didn’t agree with the way she had handled it, he understood. From now on, though, he would make sure she wouldn’t go rogue again.

“Then, why are we still here,” she said, though her voice carried not as much darkness as she glanced around the room her hands on her hips- it was strangely very hot. She was _hot._

He shrugged, walked around the ridiculously large living room, eyes scanning the place carefully. “Well, that’s for you to say. What were you here for?” He asked as his trained eyes tried to find something out of the ordinary - or too ordinary.

He heard her walk behind him and quicken her pace to level him. “You’re gonna help me? Why?” Blunt disbelief. It exploded out of her, and he had no doubt it was written all over her face. It almost hurt him.

Oh, she thought he would send her back home, didn’t she. He could have. But to what aim? She was here now, and it would definitely be more fun with her. He was pretty sure she would have done whatever she wanted anyway. But, if she needed reassurance (which he doubted she did), he’d give it to her.

“There’s a murderer running in my streets, and I could really use a partner. So, _you’re_ gonna help _me.”_ He said arching an eyebrow at her, watched as she pursed her lips in an attempt to suppressed a smile, it seemed. Her eyes were much clearer, and he captured how the wild amber sparkled.

She raised a matching, challenging eyebrow at him in response, “Fine. But so you know, I don’t take orders,” she let out as she walked past him to take a look around, purposefully letting her hair flick the air like a whip, her voice dropping low - so low and throaty that his abs spasmed hard, the sudden burn making him suck in a breath.

He blinked into space, released the air he had been holding.

“You’re welcome..” he mumbled, walking after her with a shake of his head.

He wasn’t going to survive this.

* * *

 

“Beckett, here,” Beckett heard from behind her, and she turned to see Castle wave a notepad at her. “QIR Flight No. 215 7AM,” he read aloud, “Ring any bell?”

She grabbed the surveillance photos from the coffee table, and headed to him holding them out in the air “Yes, this was Royce’s flight. They must have flown together. See these photos? He knew they were in trouble. Probably left to New York to protect her.”

She watched Castle’s eyebrows furrow as his face leant on a side - confusion clouding over the blue sea - turning it grey. He had a handsome face - all rough edges, and deep shadows, and entirely too appealing. “Right. Perhaps he was doing some PI work for her. Look at that building the guy’s coming out of. I think I know what that is, but I’d need to look into it.”

She shook her head, teeth sinking into her digit as she tried to put the pieces together. “I don’t know, Castle. Corgis, surfing, wine tasting? This doesn’t make any sense.”

He hummed, his eyes running over the photos. He intrigued her. He was nothing like any of the male cops she had been around before. He was quite a bit of a jerk, but he was also sweet - had bought her some time after all. She was used to boring, and dull - and he was everything but.

Perhaps she could take _advantage_ of that while she was here. She’d noticed how he looked at her, he certainly wouldn’t turn her down. She had planned on doing this alone, hardly ever needed anyone to begin with.

But maybe…

“Beckett.” She whipped her head up, saw the recorder in Castle’s hands. He pressed play, and a voice filled the room:

_“The power of sound compels you”_

The power of- what? “I don’t know what that means,” she said flatly, a sigh of frustration leaving her lips on a heavy puff of breath. “You know what? I’ll call my boys. Have them look into Violet’s contacts-“ she stopped herself due to the look on Castle’s face; the hard lines creased and shadowed by something dark. “Castle?” She asked, angling her head down to get a better look at his face, but-

He jerked his head up with wide, startled eyes as though he’d just blacked out and come back to himself at her voice. “Yeah uh-” His phone buzzed, his eyes glanced down. “Hey, look. Got results for that building. I sent it over to my tech analyst. It’s a kind of R&D facility owned by a Charles Kelvin. And guess what?” A small smile crept along his lips, and she shrugged to urge him on. “The hobbies fit. Your Violet here was studying him”

“Let’s go.”

* * *

 

“You know, from what you’ve told me, and what we’ve just found out, I think our girl here got seriously played.” Castle said as they walked out of the building and into the dim-lit street.

“No shit,” Beckett countered tilting her face on the side and looking at him with a small smile. Even in the moonlight, she was breathtakingly stunning - if not more so.

“I’m just saying, that McCauley dude might just be your guy, Beckett,” he said with a shrug. “A young actress, desperate to make a name for herself. He just had to tell her he needed a pretty girl to help him get the voice code, and promise to make her famous if she helped him and bam! Done.” He heard her giggle quietly next to him, as she swayed gently into him leaving him in a paralysing state of daze. He wanted to, no- _had_ to hear that again.

“You make it sound quite dramatic, but yeah, sounds about right,” she agreed unlocking her rental car with a press of her thumb on the button of her key. “What?” she asked with a frown, that adorable line forming between her eyes.

“Nothing. Tomorrow?” He didn’t want to leave her, and he hoped it didn’t show in his voice, though he was pretty sure he had sounded more hopeful than he had intended. She unravelled him.

“Sure. I’ll text you when I’ll be ready,” she said opening the door of the driver side and slipped inside with one last tight smile.

“And Beckett. You _wait_ for me, got it?” She hated being told what to do, and while he’d been expecting to be on the receiving end of one her death glares, she only shook her head with a slow roll of her eyes. She might have a strong hold on him, he knew her type. She was a loose canon, clearly compromised and too close to this, he couldn’t afford to let her think she could do whatever she wanted. He wouldn’t let her.

“Sir, yes, Sir,” she delivered with a cheeky curl of her lips, amusement intertwined in each word- mocking him. She winked, and smoothly slid into traffic.

He stood there under the too-bright light of the street light, when he realized his car was still where he had left it in Beverly Hills, and she’d left him here.

Great.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard Castle, LAPD, considered himself very lucky, today. Of all the breaking and enterings he had been on in the past , this just had to be the best one yet. To Love and Die in LA - AU. Rated T to M.

Kate Beckett sat on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, shoulders hunched over the surveillance photos, and her notes on what Esposito and Ryan had found, a mug of steaming coffee in the middle of it all. It was probably around 10:30pm when she heard the knock on her door. Confused, she pushed herself up and straightened her NYPD grey top where it had ridden high above her hip, thankfully it was long enough to cover most of her ass - barely. She thought perhaps it was room service, but she was quite sure she hadn’t asked for anything - not since an hour ago when she’d ordered dinner up. She peered through the peephole, and felt herself tense up at the sight of who was standing there. Was he  _ checking up _ on her? He was unbelievable. 

She jerked the door open, making sure he would get the message just by looking at her face. “Castle. What are you doing here? How did you know where I was staying? Are you  _ spying _ on me?” She narrowed her eyes at him as he stood there, mouth gaping like a fish, and a takeout bag dangling from his fingers. Okay, perhaps she had misjudged his motive - still. 

He walked past her as though he owned the place, leaving  _ her  _ gaping and staring at the empty hallway. She let out a huff, and slammed the door closed. Turning to him, she crossed her arm over her chest, waited for him to elaborate. Looking right into her eyes, he frowned and shook his head. “What, no! I just figured I’d bring you dinner, best-” The sentence fell short as he started walking around, his eyes most likely taking stock of the scattered notes, the murder board she had fixed to a window. When he turned back to her, his eyes were of an icy hard blue. He let out a sharp puff of hair that might have been a bitter laugh of disbelief, and licked his lips. “Wait. Is that- You said we’d do this together,” he said darkly, a finger pointing to the mess on the floor. He set the bag down next to the mess of notes on the coffee table, and walked back toward her, slowly, looking at her from under low and stiff brows - like a beast stalking to catch his prey. 

For some reason, she surprised herself in taking a step back, her back hitting the door before she knew it. She squared her shoulders, brushing off the warning swirling in her guts. So what, he was angry, he had no reason to be. She wasn’t a child, she didn’t need to be kept out of trouble. She stared at him with defying eyes of her own, saw his jaw tense in response - probably realizing that she wouldn’t feel intimidated. She could feel her treacherous body react alright, but it had nothing to do with anything he was aiming for. 

“Yeah, well. I lied. Kinda,” she said, her short quickening breaths making it sound less provoking than she was going for. He was standing so close that his scent seemed to be all over her. She tried to swallow past the heavy lump clogging her throat as the muscles of her abdomen tensed and contracted, her nerves flaring as arousal zipped through her wickedly. Fisting her hands, and forcing her nails into her palms was the only way she found to control herself. 

“I can’t believe you,” he almost spat, his own breathing erratic, though she couldn’t tell if it was from anger or something else. She searched his darkening eyes as they bore into hers, and shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts, see through the blur of arousal. 

He looked like she’d just murdered someone, it was ridiculous, and she was clearly not in the mood to fight - though, she could entertain the idea of them sparring on a gym mat. “Oh come on, Castle. I was going over my notes, you don’t need to make a big deal out of it,” she stated as she tried to bypass him - get  _ away _ from him - but he took a step aside to keep her there; between the door, and his chest. 

“Yes, I do! Is this what you do? If we’re gonna do this, I have to be able to trust you, and you have to trust  _ me. _ You lied to me, this is _ not _ okay,” he scolded her like she was a child, and she had had enough. 

She took an irritated intake of breath, her eyes momentarily rolling to the ceiling, and let it out firmly - tried to stay cool, because one of them  _ had  _ to. She had no idea what that was about, didn’t get why he was so fired up, he didn’t seem to go much by the book himself, but his anger and anguish was genuine, and  _ hot _ . 

His eyes were intent on her, never letting her advert her own gaze (he hadn’t looked  _ down  _ at her even  _ once _ ), and she wondered if he was aware of how close they were; his heaving chest almost brushing her breasts. It didn’t seem like he would let it go soon enough, so she went for the only option she knew would allow him to let it all out in a way that they would both enjoy, and benefit from. She didn’t mind that he was angry at her, couldn’t care less about what he thought, but right now, she’d rather feel that anger more  _ deeply. _

She let a sly smile stretch across her lips as she closed the already small distance between them. Pushing herself up on her tiptoes, she laid a lithe hand on his chest, her mouth travelling to his ear. He sucked in a breath, and tensed, telling her just how much  _ she  _ was affecting him. “Yeah? What are you gonna do about it…” she mouthed distinctly, her lips brushing his ear. “ _ Detective _ ,” she dragged out more forcefully, as he swallowed roughly, his face bobbing so slightly with it. She lowered back down to the soles of  her feet and looked at him from lowered lashes, almost laughed out loud at the look on his face as he  _ finally _ took in her outfit - or lack thereof; Hungry, pitch black eyes travelling languidly down her bare legs, and back up just as slowly. She shivered hard under his perusal, her heart pounding, and pounding. 

She knew what she was doing, didn’t even try to hide it. And he responded -  _ fast.  _ What she hadn’t anticipated was how fast  _ she  _ responded to him. She knew better than hooking up with cops, they would never work outside of  _ this _ . But, she would be going home soon, and they would never see each other again - both of them knew what this would be. Besides, they had an insane amount of  chemistry; he was hot, and clearly not indifferent to her either, it would be a real shame to waste that. 

He reached out a hand, and curled it around her right hip, fingers fisting hard around the fabric of her top, the coolness of his fingers against her thin skin startled her - a gasp escaping her. His eyes dropped to her parted lips as he brought his face closer, close enough for their noses to touch gently, mouths hovering as they breathed into each other’s mouth. Tension sizzled and crackled between them in bright sparks that she felt snaking through her nerve endings, forcing her to squeeze her thighs to keep it together. Her face felt so warm, she thought she was about to explode.

“This is wrong,” he sighed into her mouth as his hips backed her further into the door, the firm contact forcing her lips wider, her eyes falling closed due to the stimulation overload.  

She swallowed hard. “I agree,” she croaked past her tight throat, her chest heaving with each labored breath. She opened her eyes and glanced down as he angled his face to smear his lips behind her ear, his tongue drawing random patterns against her skin. She let her head fall back against the door with a thud, her legs giving out under herself at his ministration. 

“You wanna stop?” He mumbled against her skin, and bit hard, making her whole body jump and bang against the wooden door as she yelped and shoved her hands into his short hair, gripping and holding on tight to it. 

“Fuck,  _ no,”  _ she let out as his mouth went back up to hover above her lips. The hand at her hip abandoned the gray cotton to span her waist - his hand so wide that it covered half her back. Tired of taking it slow, she let go of his head to reach for his belt buckle, going for the zipper with quick fingers. Castle let out a deep groan that vibrated low in her belly, and restrained both her hands, fingers circling her slim wrists. He slammed them down against the door on both sides, and she squirmed. What was he  _ doing? _

“Hell no. We’re doing it,  _ my  _ way, Beckett,” he said hotly against her mouth as he pushed a leg between her thighs, high and forcefully enough to slam against her centre, her whole body jostling up with it, and she couldn’t repress the moan that wanted out.

Right, she hadn’t listened to him, and he wanted to reclaim control. Fine, she’d let him play, and then  _ she’ _ d show him

* * *

( RATED M ) 

He stopped wasting time and took her mouth; there was no grace, no delicacy to it. It was ruthless, and rough; lips sucking, teeth clashing, tongues probing. Her blood sang at the punishing pace, as she grinded herself down on him shamelessly, the thin cotton of her panties shifting against the rough jeans and drawing a hiss out of her. He let one of her hands go so he could skim his own up the lines of her abs. Her own hand automatically flew to his face, nails scratching the harsh stubble as they worked at each other’s mouths. She mewled into his mouth the moment his hand came around her breast, his thumb slowly circling her nipple. She bucked hard into him in response as he began pinching her nipple. The man fucking knew what he was doing.

Castle let her mouth go to latch onto the line of her jaw, biting hard enough to leave a mark. She grunted, angled her face and curled her fingers around his ear hard to encourage him to move  _ lower.  _ She must have given enough of an indication because he started nipping down the line of her throat, tongued the hollow place below her collarbone. He needed to stop playing around, she couldn’t take any more of this, and she let it known.

“Fucking touch me Castle, or leave it to  _ me, _ ” she spat pulling on the hand that he was still holding down in emphasis. 

She felt him laugh into her skin - that  _ bastard  _ \- and suck hard until she moaned. He raised his head, his mouth into a sheepish smile, and eyes so dark she wondered where the blue had gone to. “You in a rush, Beckett?” She narrowed her eyes at him, but if anything, his smile grew wider. He was enjoying seeing her  _ squirm _ under him. 

He let her hand go, and curled his own around the bottom of her top, lifted it above her head in a swift move and threw it across the room - leaving her in nothing but her panties. He looked into her eyes for a brief moment, as if making sure she was still on board, though she was not sure what he was looking for exactly. She arched a sharp eyebrow at him, and that seemed to make him snap out of it. Next thing she knew, he had her whole right breast into his mouth, sucking as she was gasping for air with her head thrown back. Her hands found their way back into his hair, anchoring herself there while his tongue swirled around her nipple and he sucked greedily, leaving her no choice but to shout his name. He abandoned her breast with a moist pop at her cry, looking entirely too smug. 

He finally pulled his own top over his head and threw it away, her eyes instantly descending to his defined abs and muscular chest. Her hands moved to span each side of his broad chest, licking her lips - if she could just taste...He must have sensed what she wanted to do judging by the way he slammed her back into the door - and what was it with that caveman  _ shoving?  _ His gaze bored into her, so hot and deep that she struggled to catch her breath or advert her eyes. The distraction worked - she hadn’t noticed his fingers migrating south until he pressed her panties hard against her folds, tearing an immediate moan out of her. Even with her head thrown back and her eyes closed, she could feel his gaze on her - watching closely as she writhed. He pushed the cotton aside, and ran a light finger around her, purposely avoiding the place where she wanted him most. She keened uncontrollably as the pressure climbed, and climbed so excruciatingly slowly that her breath caught around a strangled noise. He responded by sliding two fingers into her entry, smearing the wetness that pooled there and dripped down her thighs around his fingers to drive up to her clit, drawing tight circles and alternating between circling her clit, and drawing shallow paths to her entry. She let her whole weight collapse on his hand as her legs turned to jelly, her mouth so dry she couldn’t even cry out. He cupped her sex more fully, and crushed his chest against her to hold her up. “ _ Kate,”  _ he croaked, visibly well affected himself. 

Without any warning, he thrust two fingers in, and lifted her further up against the door so sharply that she slumped forward against his shoulder and bit the skin there to muffle her scream. His fingers worked her centre mercilessly, bottoming in and out so fast that a loud squelch filled the room, the oddly errotic sound bringing her closer to the razor-sharp edge. He pressed his thumb against her bundle of nerves with the right amount of pressure while he kept plunging his fingers deep into her, back and forth. 

The moment he ducked his head to suck a nipple inside his warm mouth - she soared. She immediately froze, and tensed as tiny stars burst behind her eyelids. He helped her ride the waves, pumping slowly between her legs even when she closed her thighs hard around his hand, until she fell against the door with a groan, her muscles turning liquid one by one. Beckett opened her eyes to see him sucking his fingers clean, and almost came right there - untouched. 

He looked at her with wide eyes, his pupils dilated as she arched herself onto her tiptoe,s and stained his lips with a dirty twist of her lips, tongue poking through the barrier of his teeth to taste herself on him, and purring low in her throat as she did. He let her explore his mouth, a hand cradling the back of her head as his fingers crept up through her hair.

She pushed him away, their lips separating with a wet sound. She saw him move his hands to his jeans, and slapped them away with a disapproving click of her tongue. As much as she wanted him to take her hard against the door, it’d have to wait for later. She needed more, needed him deep enough to split her apart, and it wouldn’t happen as long as they were vertical.

She dropped her panties on the floor without further ceremonies, and headed for the bedroom without a second look back. 

* * *

He was floored. 

He watched in a total daze as she skittered away from him  _ naked _ , and disappeared into what he was guessing was the bedroom. The last few minutes had flown by in a blur, his brain only now registering what had just happened. Although his tight jeans didn’t need any additional reminders, if anything, it made it worse. He hadn’t seen that coming. He had wanted it since he had laid eyes on her - there was no point in denying it, and by the looks of it, she had, too. Still, it had come from nowhere, and she’d turned the tables so fast, it had blinded him. 

She was incredible; a raging fire under a supple, and pliant body. She took, and showed what she wanted without shame, had guided him through it with the desperate grips of her fingers, and throaty cries, and he was certain he already was drugged on her. He thought he’d been the one in control, but even tied down, she had him by the balls - figuratively, though, literally, too, he hoped. 

The first thing he saw when he walked into the room was her sitting against the headboard, a hand between her legs, and he groaned; a guttural sound that came from deep inside at the sight.  _ Mine.  _

His brain tripped over itself as arousal flared bright in his groin, his cock straining hard against the front of his jeans. She smiled; a sly, naughty thing that showed just how much she was enjoying this. 

Swearing under his breath, he jerked his jeans and briefs down his legs and stepped out, his sockets going with them. He noticed she’d stopped touching herself the minute he’d started taking his jeans off, and he arched an eyebrow at her. He saw her swallow, the long and soft line of her throat bobbing with the effort as her eyes froze on his shaft. 

He let out a light snort, weirdly proud of rendering her speechless - and so still. He climbed on the bed, and crawled to her slowly, only stopping once he had two hands braced against the wall behind her. He caught a whiff of the sweet scent of cherries, and dropped his nose into her soft golden hair, let the sweet smell wash over him. He startled hard when he felt the tip of her tongue stroke a line between his pectorals, her low hum reverberating low in his belly. Oh, she had to  _ stop  _ that. 

He moved backward, just enough to press his knees into the soft mattress at the level of her own knees. She watched with a light frown as he grabbed her hips firmly, pulled her forward sharply, and pushed her knees apart so they circled him. He smiled as she gasped, her head now down on the cushion. She lifted herself on her elbows and scowled at him. “What’re you doing, Castle?” 

He shrugged innocently, and lied down on his stomach, looked at her from between her raised knees. He let the strong scent of her arousal guide him to the source, his nose hovering her centre and blowing air over the moist lips. He heard her swear a very low  _ Fuck _ , and buried his nose in that soft place between her leg and her outer lips, nipping softly. He felt her leg shift as she raised a foot, a stream of moans flowing out of her. “ _ Castle _ , later,” she slurred through her teeth it seemed. 

But he didn’t think she sounded like she really wanted to put this off, so he plunged right in and feasted like a starved man. And perhaps he was, had been starving - until she’d come into the picture. He proceeded carefully, and slowly at first; light probes of his tongue here, and there to try to find the spots that made her eyes roll right back into her head, and to let himself enjoy the taste of her - her scent shooting bright flares down his own arousal, and oh- he could do that all night, over and over again. He shot a few glances up, her chest curved into a perfect arch that made him groan and burrow deeper into her as she whined like a  _ cat _ . Quickly, he added a finger to the mix, the digit thrusting in and out as he tongued her clit, and sucked it between his lips. He let her high-pitched keens, and gripping hands tell him what, and how she liked it - his lips and tongue merciless in their task. 

He felt the tight walls of her sex pulse around his digit, and sucked harder on her clit as she violently clamped down around him and cried out with her legs clamping hard around his head. He hummed into her as she came back to herself, and jerked his head up to look at her as she breathed heavily. She was staring at the ceiling, her mouth in a rounded ‘o’, her hair tousled wildly around her face, and he’d never seen such a mesmerizing sight. 

“Well,  _ fuck  _ me, you’re good,” she let out around a laboured breath, brushing the hair from her face with a blow through her lips. 

He barked out a laugh, couldn’t help it. He had no idea how she could look so adorable after  _ that _ , but she did and he really wanted to kiss her for it. Though, she sat up and pushed him on his back with a speed that knocked the air out of him. She climbed him, her taut ass pressed up on his thighs and his balls resting just against her bald mound. He pushed himself onto his elbows and blinked - she sure was a woman full of surprises. 

She smiled triumphantly at him as she grabbed him firmly, and started a slow up and down trip on his shaft. He hissed and fell back against the mattress, his hands in fists around the fabric of the bed cover. “I think you’ve had enough fun. My turn,” she said as she kept up the slow glide of her fingers, his abs tightening hard. He didn’t want her  _ hands _ , what was she doing, she needed to scoot forward so he could- something wet clamped hard against the head of his cock, and all thoughts left him - mind going blank. “ _ Kaaaate _ , Kate, no,” he dragged out as she snaked her wicked tongue around him and bobbed down, her hand stroking his base. She was gonna  _ kill _ him. 

“What, Castle, afraid of a little bit of foreplay?” She asked with that sultry voice of her, soft like velvet, and so throaty that he almost came right then. A hand tickled his balls as she dove back down, and hummed - the sound zipping through him like a blade. He groaned, dark and deep, refrained himself from going for her head. “Beckett, Kate, please.  _ Inside.”  _

She let his shaft go with a wet pop that made him groan, “Okay, fine. But, you’re no fun,” she said, sullen, and squatted forward on his lap, he felt something familiar encase his shaft, and  _ when _ the  _ fuck  _ had she grabbed a condom. He stopped thinking the moment she started to  _ run _ herself over his cock back and forth - and  _ no, Beckett…!  _

She kept teasing herself, oblivious of his warnings. So, that seemed to be a habit - overlooking  _ warnings.  _ He was about to  _ beg her  _ to do something when he felt the tight,  _ wet _ grip of her pussy as she sunk excrutiatingly slow. He raised himself back on his elbows, absolutely had, needed to see this as she braced herself on his chest and started  _ twisting _ , and  _ swirling _ her hips around. He moaned, long, and deep as she picked up the pace, driving herself up and down his shaft openly, and overtly - their skin slapping harshly as they met. The room was quickly flooded with matching moans, and grunts, and he did his best to drive his hips up to meet her, as she keened hard. He wanted to touch her, do something, but couldn’t possibly. Well, that could change. 

He drove his hips up more vigorously, watched her throw her head back and used that moment to sit up and propelled them forward. She let out a yelp of surprise, quickly followed by a shriek as he hovered over her, her legs now tightly curled around his waist, and this time  _ he  _ was the one driving hard into her, controlling the pace. “ _ Fuck,  _ Castle. What the  _ hell.”  _

He drove into her full speed, his own body arching above her as his resolve tightened. His breath hitched, and he slowed down right when he could feel she was about to fall, the glide of his shaft inside her measured, and too slow for either of them to come. “You’re a fucking  _ dead  _ man,” she muttered through gritted teeth, her chest heaving more profoundly. He looked up at her, noticed how her hair stuck to her sweaty forehead, her nostrils flaring with the effort of finding release. 

He let himself sway forward, his cock burrowing deeper as he did, and pressed a slow kiss under her eye. “ _ Trust  _ me, Beckett. Just- trust me.” With that, he forced himself down, and deep enough so she could grind her clit against him, and went back out almost entirely, only to slam down in one tight thrust, the muscles of his ass flexing hard. His own self-control slipped as she arched under him, and squirmed uncontrollably, no longer able to hold himself back, he thrust and pistoned hard, and quick. Castle squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his balls tighten, urging her on “Touch yourself, Kate,” he gritted out as he opened his eyes to her messily stroking herself as she mewled and thrashed. 

She came with a violent, long shout, his name not far behind as her thighs spasmed so hard against him that her lower body levitated from the mattress. He followed her almost immediately as he kept pumping at a steady pace, a deep grunt slipping past his lips as he emptied himself in her. Completely drained, he let himself roll on the side and stared at the ceiling as he focused on returning to a regular breathing pattern. 

Castle turned his face to the side to glance at her, his heart flipping in his chest at the sight of Detective Kate Beckett thoroughly satiated and... _ sleepy.  _ He laughed softly as her eyelids slammed down, her thick dark eyelashes an interesting contrast against the flushed tint of her face. He glanced in the direction of the bedside table where screaming red numbers indicated it was 11:47. 

* * *

 

END M RATED

Castle sighed. He should go back to his place, he guessed, but looking at her now he didn’t have it in him to leave her here, naked and alone. He got up from the bed, and found his  boxer briefs, jumped back into them. He went looking for the bathroom, and once in, threw the condom in the trash, and grabbed a washcloth from the shelf, played with the taps of the sink to get the water warm enough, and wet the thick piece of cotton. He walked back to her side of the bed, and cautiously stroke the glove between her legs, she moaned something in her sleep, and burrowed her face further into the cover. He smiled fondly at the sight - because how could he  _ not _ \- and pulled the covers from under her, eased her under the thin sheet as delicately as he could, covering her whole form. 

Thoroughly worn out himself, he threw the glove on the nightstand, and slid slowly under the covers next to her, though at a reasonable distance. They might have had sex, they both were aware of what it meant - or rather, didn’t mean. He was, but it didn’t stop his stupid heart from skipping a beat, a terrible sense of longing - that he didn’t  _ want- _ already settling heavily in his chest. 

He could survive sex with Kate Beckett, could very well handle her. What he wasn’t so sure of was of how good he would be at keeping it casual. He didn’t  _ need _ anyone, and yet, each time he looked at her - he couldn’t tear his gaze away, couldn’t let her go. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard Castle, LAPD, considered himself very lucky, today. Of all the breaking and enterings he had been on in the past , this just had to be the best one yet. To Love and Die in LA - AU. Rated T to M.

Castle woke up and opened his eyes to the glaring light of the rising sun like a ball of fire, the already warm rays cutting through the thick glass of the french doors. Groaning, he turned his face into his cushion -  _ why  _ had he left the curtains drawn open? As he closed his eyes into the slick silk of the cushion, he caught a whiff of a scent he recognized all too well, though not his, and lurched forward. Sitting there, the sheet pooling on his thighs, he blinked as his eyes scanned the room, confusion clouding over: that was  _ not  _ his apartment. He glanced next to him, and while that side of the bed was empty, it was clear that there had been someone, and  _ oh!  _ A small, albeit bewildered sigh escaped his parted lips as snapshots of the night before flashed before his eyes - a  _ lot _ of bare skin. They did  _ that _ , they definitely had. That would explain why a certain part of his body had stirred so fiercely the minute the smell had hit his nose, why his pulse had broken into a wild canter, why the hair on his arm stood stubbornly. She had definitely left her mark on him -  _ not good. _

He knew what it had been, he wasn’t stupid; she had taken what she’d needed from him, and so had he - and that was it. He was okay with that, and was hardly a stranger to meaningless one night stands, but a small part of him was crying out for more, and he had no control over it. She’d broken into his mind way more finely than into that house, and he knew he wouldn’t forget that night any time soon - every detail of her carefully mapped and stored into his brain. 

He remembered being angry at her, yet he’d completely forgotten about what. If that had been her goal, she was crazy _good_ \- indeed, she was. He shook the thought away, and threw his legs out of the bed, glanced at the clock. Uh, way too early, but it felt entirely too wrong to go back to sleep in _her_ bed while she was out there - he considered himself lucky she hadn’t throw him out yet, he wouldn’t push his luck any further. With a sigh, he went looking for his clothes, and was surprised to find each item folded, and piled up on a dark wooden dresser - had she? He ran a finger over the fabric of his jeans with furrowed brows, his inside burning and churning with the need to grab her, and bring her back to bed. She didn’t _get_ to do that, didn’t need to be so thoughtful, folding his clothes. 

What the hell, no, Beckett. 

He huffed, something sharp and forced, and dressed quickly, let his eyes swept the room more openly now that he was fully awake. He could see why she had picked it (that is, if she had indeed been able to choose at all); It was made of a medium-sized main room, and a bedroom with its attendant bathroom, all warm brown, and beige tones, a lot of light, and white flowers, - Lilies at first glance- here, and there.

He shuffled into the living room and main room with a loud yawn that he didn’t even bother to smother. And, as he had suspected when finding the sheets cool, Beckett was back on the floor, her nose into her notes.  _ Right.  _ That was what he’d been mad about. There was something admirable and truly remarkable in her tenacity, how hard she worked to make things right. But he could see how that could be dangerous, too in her line of work. He’d seen that play out before his eyes, before. 

“Up early,” he muttered as he stepped to the coffee table to take the bag of takeout he’d abandoned here the night before, headed to the small fridge at the far end of the room to put the boxes to rest - hopefully, it would still be good. Noticing she’d ordered up a pot of coffee, he poured himself a cup before joining her. If she had heard him before that, she showed no sign whatsoever. 

“Hey,” she said softly as she - finally - looked up at him with a shy curl of her lips. He arched a dubious eyebrow that she more or less ignored as she hid her face into her mug. Now she was shy? Interesting. He didn’t mind, he loved how her lips stretched lazily as a rosy tint crept up her chest, and spread along her cheeks, deep green eyes shying away. “Yeah. Trying to figure out this heist,” she added, her eyes dancing around as she pinched the nail of her thumb sharply between her teeth, a hard line between her eyebrows that he ached to smooth way. “I probably would have figured it out by now if it wasn’t for you,” she teased as she shot him a provocative look, though he could hear the reprimand in her voice. Oh,  _ really _ , she wanted to play that game? 

“Hardly heard you complaining last night,” he retaliated flatly, arching a suggestive eyebrow at her as he took a sip of his coffee. She rolled her eyes with a brief shake of her head before returning on her notes. She knew he was right. She was too proud to say it, but he knew that  _ she  _ knew. 

He chuckled quietly under his breath hoping it wouldn’t reach her ears - she would kill him, and she looked entirely too adorable right now; her glowing chestnut hair framed her face in blurry waves that he could see she hadn’t brushed yet, her NYPD top pooling down to her hips as she sat cross-legged,  _ pink  _ panties just peeking out. He needed to stop staring, he really did, or else he’d have to explain to her why he needed to take a shower right here, and now. But he couldn’t, she attracted him like a magnet, and he couldn’t resist the pull. 

He walked behind her to take a look over her shoulders at what she was looking at. “‘That Kelvin North America?” 

She nodded, and he watched how the play of light in her hair made it glow and shine with soft reflections of gold, and copper. He wanted to touch, but perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea. Instead, he curled his hands into fists and swallowed it down. Ignored the hungry gaping mouth inside his chest. “Yeah. Kelvin said that the last time that vault was accessed was at 11:46 Tuesday night.”

He hummed. “Well, that must be when our thieves stole the high tech ammo.” 

Dissolving bullets, he still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around that. He’d heard of ice bullets, but that was just crazy - though, kind of awesome, too. Not that he would say that aloud, she’d twist his ear - or worse. 

“800 pounds worth. And they would have had to take it out the loading dock,” she started as he rounded the coffee table to sit on the far end of the warm brown leather couch, so he could see her and the photos spread before her. He nodded into his mug; she was right, but-

“But that guard's stationed there. I remember seeing that when we went in. There's no way they could get all that ammo past him without a little insider help,” he finished following her train of thought. 

She looked up at him, a small smile teasing the corners of her lips, her eyes burning with a determination that was all over her face, though something else was there too. He couldn’t tell whether it was surprise, or thrill. “Exactly. So, I called the security company, and they said that the only guard that was stationed at the loading bay that night was some guy named Reggie Walsh,” she added with an eyebrow arched up as she held her head high, and stood to sit next to him - so close that he could feel her body thrumming with victory, had his own pulse with something else entirely. She was so  _ sharp  _ \- it made him hot. 

He blinked as her soft scent of cherry blossoms, and something that was just very her washed over him, want stirring fiercely low in his belly and wrapping his mind into a cloud of dust he couldn’t see past. “Now, you got something, there,” he forced out, as her eyes scanned his face, her eyes flashing and darkening into a tormenting green - his guts twisted in a knot when they fell to his lips.

“He asked to be reassigned the next day,” she said slowly as her eyes snapped back up to his, a sly smile playing along her lips. 

He swallowed past the heavy lump in his throat, his breathing hitching hard when he noticed her eyes trained on the flexing line of his throat. “All right. What’s next then?” He squirmed, and cleared his throat in a weak attempt to keep his  _ shit  _ together. If she could just  _ stop  _ looking at him like she wanted to jump on his lap and have her way with him, perhaps he’d manage to be more eloquent.

“We need to question Reggie Walk,” she let out easily, eyes wide and focused on him - searching his. She angled her chin down, looking up at him suggestively under raised eyebrows, as if he was supposed to understand some underlying meaning there.

Instead - his mind blanked out. 

He frowned at her, didn’t understand what that look was for. His brain jumped the gun, and his mouth ran before he could even have a say in it. “Why are you looking at me like that? Are my jeans back to front- I wasn’t paying attention, it’s a nice room-” He glanced down his lap, and then at her. 

Her lips were pursed tightly together, as if something would burst past them at any moment. A vivid glint in her eyes danced around with mirth as she slapped a hand against her mouth, a strained hiccuping sound coming out of her mouth in a wheeze as her body swayed forward. He stared blankly at the back of her head as her forehead hit his thigh, her shoulders shaking. 

All he was aware of was of his galloping pulse as her laugh flooded his eardrums.

When she raised her head and sat straight, her eyes were clear and sparkled brightly as she shook her head at him. “Castle, oh my god, stop,” she said around a labored breath, her hand falling to his thigh where her forehead had been. 

“What?” he asked, the only response he could come up with because he had no idea what was going on. He usually wasn’t so slow, he liked to think he was pretty quick-witted himself, but she got under his skin and hacked into his brain with the smallest flash of a smile. 

She gave him a  _ duh  _ look, her fingers scraping against his jeans. “I can’t go after him, I’m not a cop here, remember?”

Yeah, that he knew, so what.

“Right, so what?” He asked, his fingers playing with hers on his thigh. 

She let out huff, the sound scraping her throat. “So! You  _ are, _ ” she pointed out with a tip of her head, big wide eyes staring expectantly at him. 

Oh, he was an idiot. 

“Oh,  _ oh.  _ You want me to bring him in,” he realized suddenly. 

She nodded, her teeth trapping her lips in a very appealing way. “Will you do that for me?” She asked, dragging herself closer.

“Always.” The word flowed out of him easily,  _ too _ easily as they stared at each other with matching smirks. That was until he saw her lips quirk up cheekily, and her gaze turn sly.

“But first, shower,” she said, gripping the fabric of his tee-shirt to drag him up with her. “And you’re coming with.”

He was? “Wh-What?” he croaked out, a blinding spark bursting through his system, splashing a patchwork of colours behind his eyelids. He had  _ not  _ seen that coming, not really. He’d figured it’d been a one time thing, but if she felt that pull between them as deeply as he did...

“You heard me.” 

_ Yes, Ma'am.  _

* * *

 RATED M

He tripped over himself so comically when she started dragging him toward the bedroom, that the laugh just burst out of her before she could  _ think  _ of doing anything about it. She let go of his t-shirt to pull her own over her head and threw it on the floor when they reached the bathroom. When she glanced at him over her shoulder, he wore on his face the perfect mask of wonder - as if he couldn’t quite believe what was happening - though, she didn’t miss the way his eyes darkened fiercely as they ran along her back. She couldn’t read the guy; he was so broody and serious at times, only to turn into a clumsy teenager the minute she showed the smallest patch of skin - it was refreshing, but destabilizing. 

She  _ loved  _ that dark side of him that lured, and stayed dangerously at bay; it made her skin tingle, and her stomach clench just thinking back on those dark, heated looks he’d given her the night before. He had shown her he could handle her, could easily have her at his mercy, and while she would  _ never  _ admit it, it turned her on more than she’d have imagined. 

But, she loved the more gentle, attentionate side of him too; how careful and smart his fingers were when they drew a hot path on her skin, how soft his lips were when he guided her through a climax, how warm and clear his eyes were when he looked at her - even now when surprise and wonder showed through. Though, that was harder to deal with. She could handle anger and lust, but sweet and slow meant things she didn’t have time for. That didn’t mean she couldn’t let herself enjoy it for the time being.

He distracted her in the most delicious yet consuming ways. She’d come here battle ready to find Royce’s killer. Yet, the moment she had felt Castle wrap his large, wide hand (and those _fingers_ ) around her own, all she’d been able to think about was having him. And, she had had him, all right. For some reason, she couldn’t get him out of her system, however hard she tried, he’d become _part_ of her system. If anything, it’d made it worse - especially now that she knew how well they fit, and yet clashed, like fire and water. She’d just enjoy the connection they had for the time they still had left, and go back to her neat life. There was nothing wrong with it. He sure was _not_ complaining. 

She was confident they would find her training officer’s killer very soon, they made a good team - perhaps that was why she allowed more of that to happen. 

Still, it’d have to be quick this time. 

She let her panties drop to the floor, and walked into the gorgeous Italian shower to turn the hot taps on, let it run to flood the room with a thick steam. 

“No funny stuff all right? We gotta be quick,” she warned as she spun on her heels to face him. She almost laughed at the way he openly ogled her, his glazed eyes travelling over her naked figure with a hard swallow as if he’d never seen it all before. 

“Uh-uh. Quick, got it,” he forced out as his eyes jumped up to meet hers - arousal sparkling right back at her. 

She shook her head at his stunned look, and stepped back into the shower, giving her hips an exaggerated swing to get him moving

“You coming, Castle, or what?” 

He nodded vividly, as if snapping out of a daze, did quick work of getting himself naked, and stalked toward her. With a satisfied smile, she played with the taps, and faced the nose of the shower, let the hot water pound on her as she covered her face with both hands. She felt him at her back like a thick wall, his obvious arousal pressed against her buttcheeks. She hummed as she angled her face on the side and away from the water, let her hands fall to her sides so she could reach backward, and grip him by the hips, her nails cutting hard into his skin. Her smile spread as he grunted, and rewarded her by diving into the stretched line of her neck, biting, and nipping there. His hands came to cup and play with her breasts, his thumbs circling her nipples in that deliciously way he’d done the night before. She gave out a dry moan, sparks of arousal snaking viciously from her nipples, and straight to her core. She bucked into him, her inner self reveling in the moan he let out.

His mouth drew a hot path up and down her neck, and while that felt amazing - they needed to  _ hurry.  _ She blinked past the droplets of water nestled on her eyelashes, and turned into his arms, her hand instantly wrapping around his cock. She watched as he threw his head backward with a guttural, a raw sound that scraped at his throat, and set her nerves on fire. She moved her hand smoothly up and down, alternating with pressure, and barely there contact, the water making her hand so slick that his flesh glided easily inside her palm. She watched him under wet eyelashes, the rough flexing of his throat as he swallowed hard. 

“ _ Kate _ , you’ve got to stop,” he muttered under a heavy breath, as he lowered his head and looked at her, his pupils completely blown. 

“You clean?” she asked around a labored breath, the muscles of her abdomen clenching and twitching in anticipation. 

He nodded silently, and she let a finger run along his abs, her eyes mesmerized at the way they jumped under her treatment. He was right, she needed to stop teasing, and he needed to be  _ inside.  _ Her teeth bit hard into her lower lip, so hard that she could taste the sharp tang of blood. She shot him a look, and rested her arms on his shoulders, a slow smile curling her lips. “Up.” The word popped out, and she arched an eyebrow when he grabbed her ass, and hoisted her up and against the slippery wall of the shower. She curled and secured her legs around his waist, threw her arms around his neck as the head of his shaft nudged her open. 

She couldn’t quite suppress the  _ mewl  _ that escaped her as his large hands cupped her ass, one of his fingers probing right next to himself at her entrance, testing the waters. “ _ Move _ ,” she croaked out, her head rolling backward against the wall. As soon as the word was out, he thrust hard and deep, the momentum pressing the scorching hot skin of her back against the cool tides. She shuddered hard as her breath stuttered. Her mouth fell wide open when he drove into her smoothly, her feet curling and pressing into his taut ass as he attached his mouth to her collarbone, sucking the drips that pooled there like liquid pearls with a sinful noise that had the muscles of her centre grip him harder. She felt him bite hard into her skin at that, his groan smothered by the sound of the running water.

Everything was on fire, the air so stuffy that she could only let him hold her against the tiles, and pound into her as she took it. He withdrew fully, and bottomed out to slip his cock through her folds, and up to her clit, drawing a raw moan out of her as the wicked waves of electricity ran through her, her back bowing with the intensity of it all. He smiled against her skin - that  _ jerk _ \- and slammed himself back inside as far as he would go, their skin so slippery that he had to grip her buttcheeks so hard she was sure it would leave marks, before finding a pace that worked best for them both as the pressure climbed wickedly, and they neared their climax. She keened as she felt it build inside her, her breath stuck low in her throat. Kate exploded hard the moment he slipped a hand between them -  _ how _ \- to press a firm digit against her clit and rub firmly, her breath rushing past her lips and out of her lungs into a cry. She curled forward hard, her face diving into his neck as she squeezed her legs around him, her mouth wide open against his skin. She felt his release pulse inside her as he shouted out her name - the sound so  _ feral _ that the walls of her sex spasmed on their own accord. He held her tight for a moment, his breathing hard and ragged, before letting her down slowly on her feet. 

They stood staring at each other as both struggled to recover their breath, and he gave her a small smile that found echo on her lips. She reached up and lay a hand against the side of his face, a hand curling around his ear to bring him down. She sucked his lip into her mouth, and laved it with light touches of her tongue, as he moaned low into her mouth, but let him go before he could deepen the kiss. She traced the shell of his ear with the tip of a finger as he looked down on her with drugged and veiled eyes; he was a sweet man under the rough mask, and she couldn’t help but think - however stupid it was - that if she wasn’t so deeply wounded and broken inside, perhaps she would give him more than that. 

But she was, and that was all they would ever be - temporary partners in crime with mind blowing benefits.

She patted his cheek in an attempt to make him come back to her, “Come on, Castle, scrub my back. We’ve got a killer to catch.” 

* * *

 

END RATED M

They’d found Reggie and tricked him into coming with them way too easily, the guy only offering an ounce of resistance. Though, she could hardly blame the guy. Castle had stood like a solid rock, and faced the poor man with a face as hard as stone, apparently aiming for intimidation - destabilization. It had worked. Reggie had sworn to tell them everything, and all it had taken to lead him to the cruiser was a raised eyebrow. Beckett knew the man’s guilt had been at play here, but Castle had definitely known what he was doing. It’d been hot. She hadn’t stepped in, had hardly needed to. And while she wasn’t used to stepping back and watching, she hadn’t minded it one bit. She wondered who of the two of them would be the bad guy if they teamed up for real. Probably both. 

Kate shook her head - dismissing the thought as she looked through the window. They were heading to his precinct, and she actually was curious to see him there, how he moved, how he talked - like a cop. She hadn’t seen him act as one much before today. She knew he had it in him, could picture him drawing a gun, but she wanted to see it. The ride so far had been quiet, and quiet allowed her to think - probably too much. Something had been nagging at her, and perhaps it was nothing but- 

“Hey, Castle?” She asked, her teeth biting into her lips as she shifted in her seat. 

Eyes fixed on the busy traffic, he merely glanced at her briefly. “Yeah?”

She watched his face closely as she weighed her options. But really, there was only one way to know. “You have no partner?” 

She noticed how his jaw tensed in reaction, the creases around his eyes strained as his grip around the steer wheel tightened. There  _ was _ something, there. She hadn’t just imagined it. 

“No, I don’t need anyone,” he offered flatly. It only encouraged her to ask for more. Push. She could feel there was something there. She knew he had people at his precinct, the same way she had Esposito and Ryan, but he very rarely had consulted them, never actually. A few texts - that had been it. She had no partner -by choice-  but still, she had people she could rely on. It seemed that he didn’t even have that. Something fierce stirred inside her chest - the need to figure it out, figure  _ him  _ out. 

“Yeah, see, that’s not what I think. What about that _ ‘I could use a partner’ _ speech?” She asked, her tone way too pushy even to her own ears. She winced as he let out a grunt. She knew she was touching a raw nerve just by the way he refused to look at her, but she was too intrigued to stop now. “Something happened, right? Every time I call, or mention Espo and Ryan - you flinch, or switch off on me.”

“It’s nothing, Beckett. Leave it,” he answered more harshly, the low tone of his voice strangely dark. Now she recognized the guy from the night before, the one that had thrown her against her hotel room door. So, there  _ was  _ a reason behind his strong reaction. 

“Now you’re shutting me out? I don’t know Castle, I kind of think you owe me an explanation, don’t you?” She pushed harder, holding her breath for a second when she saw him take a deep intake of breath, his nostrils flaring.  _ Shit _ , she truly was walking a thin line.

Before she could see it coming, he pulled over out of nowhere, the car lurching and screeching as they came to an abrupt halt. She braced her hands before her with a gasp, the man in the back seat letting out a confused grunt. She stared at him hard as she watched his jaw work. “What the hell, Castle?!” 

He turned to her sharply, the icy blue of his eyes cutting right through her. “You wanna know what happened? Fine. My last partner of ten years blew up, and went up in flames because he didn’t listen to me,  _ trust _ me. So yeah, I don’t need anyone playing the vigilante on my watch, and taking unnecessary risks- that goes for you, too,” he snarled -  his voice clipped, words so sharp they sliced through her. 

She swallowed hard as his eyes bored into her so deep that she felt naked, and not the nice kind.  _ Fuck.  _ He turned back to face the steer wheel with a deep shuddering sigh. He turned the engine back on, his face closed and unreadable. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she let her eyes run over the hard edges of his face. She had hurt him. She’d seen the pain in his eyes, the kind of pain that came with a memory you’d rather keep buried. She knew better, she  _ had  _ known somehow - and still had gone for it. That was yet another reason why they would never work; she was self-destructive, but not only. She was a cataclysm that stormed into people’s lives, only leaving devastation in her wake. 

“Aww. Hey, look man, pretty awful what happened to you friend there, but can you please do that later, it’s kind of tight back here,” Reggie called from the back seats. 

Both their head whirled around in his direction with matching glares. Kate glanced at Castle when he shifted back to face the road. He returned the glance, but shook his head dismissively as he drove the car back into traffic, his lips tightly drawn into a line. She held her breath as she faced straight ahead, the dull grey of his eyes anchored behind her lids. 

He was  _ disappointed  _ in her, and she couldn’t blame him. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard Castle, LAPD, considered himself very lucky, today. Of all the breaking and enterings he had been on in the past , this just had to be the best one yet. To Love and Die in LA - AU. Rated T to M.

It was so different than her own precinct. 

The main room of the homicide floor was much larger, spacious even. Glass doors, glass  _ boards,  _ too-white neon lights that burned at the back of her eyes, and gave the whole space a blue hue. People that came and went from all sides carrying files, fancy computers on all desks, a constant, overpowering stream of voices and ringtones that made her ears buzz. She felt awfully out of place, and hated every second of it. 

She couldn’t say as much of Castle. He walked purposely; held his shoulders high and square and kept a firm hand around the forearm of Reggie who grumbled under his breath something about his boss not being too happy with him being here. She followed them quietly, felt and noticed the curious eyes on her as if they all  _ knew  _ who she was, and they probably did; she knew how fast words travelled. They walked past some big guy with a squared jaw, a massive chest, and a smug grin attached to his lips even as he watched them walk by, his hands crossed over his chest. For some reason, she couldn’t detach her eyes from him as she went along, and he was well aware it, cocked an inquiring eyebrow up at her. She shuddered when she figured out what it was about - that dude strangely reminded her of her former  _ fiancé,  _ Will Sorenson. 

Great, who didn’t enjoy a little trip down memory lane, right? 

“Castle,” she asked, her tone hushed as she quickened her pace to catch up with him. “Who was that?” 

He shrugged, barely gave her a glance as he pushed the door of the interrogation room open. “My Captain.” 

_ Shit _ , that explained why he’d been staring at her - at least just as much as  _ she  _ had stared at him. That didn’t explain his reaction, why he wasn’t all over her. He hadn’t even said a thing, it didn’t make any sense. She thought that little arrangement was only between her and Castle.  

“What, but how, why-” she asked as he brushed past her again. She was honestly getting tired of him ditching her, of him pressuring her into running after him. He was such a  _ bully _ , a cold stone wall that wouldn’t let her  _ through.   _   


“Don’t ask,” he clipped back before she could finish, sending Reggie into a chair, and rounding the table to face the guy with dull gray eyes as he stared the guy down. She huffed and walked toward the double mirror, let her back rest against it behind Castle as she crossed her arm over her white tee-shirt. He wanted her to step down so  _ he  _ could lead? Fine. She’d give him five minutes, let him think he had tamed her. It seemed to her that he had forgotten that it was  _ her  _ case,  _ her  _ training officer - she wouldn’t let him bulldoze his way into it just because she had messed up. 

He was still angry, she could see that. His shoulders were stiff, his entire posture closed off. He wouldn’t even glance at her, or talk to her if no need be. She’d have to apologize, but he didn’t really need to give her the cold shoulder like a petulant teenager. They were supposed to work this  _ together _ . Instead, he used her stupid mishap to take the reins. She did  _ not  _ let people walk over her, perhaps she needed to make that clear. Clearly, She’d been giving him mixed signals, fucking her did not give him any sort of claim on her.  _ She _ had accepted his help, she’d have pursued this with or without him.

“So, Reggie. Do you know what they do to guys like you in prison?” She heard him say flatly, his hands bracing himself on the white table. She rolled her eyes at the cheap line,  _ realIy _ ? Her eyes widened slightly when his stormy gaze fell onto her from over his shoulder. Had he  _ felt  _ that? 

She shrugged, her lips pressed together in a  _ what do you want me to say _ demeanor, and he shook his head before turning back to Reggie. 

“I, uh, no. What do they do?” The panicky tone of the guy reached her, and of course that cheap line would work. They were wasting time, and she’d given him enough of it. She pushed herself off the mirror, stepped over the side of the table, and sat on the corner just right next to Reggie, her face angled down and toward him so he didn’t have any other choices than looking at  _ her.  _ As expected, she felt Castle bristle behind her as he shifted on the opposite side. “Beckett,” he growled under his breath, and  _ hell _ no. 

“Reggie, eyes on me,” she ordered with a snap of her fingers. The guy’s eyes settled on her face as he swallowed,  _ good _ . She heard Castle let out a very fired up sigh, but ignored it. He could sulk in his corner all he wanted, she had a killer to catch and no time for meaningless chitchat. “We know you were at the loading bay that night,” she started trying to keep her face open enough that he’d feel safe talking to her, but still made sure she had his attention. He angled his face away with a loud sniff, and she turned her face to Castle before he could say anything -  _ stay out of it.  _

He glared back coldly, his jaw set. She didn’t care. 

“Come on, Reggie. You want to get back to work, and we want to know who you helped. Give us that, and you’re free,” she bargained, her eyes back on Reggie as his eyes jumped between Castle and her, unsure. She saw in the corner of her eyes that Castle was backing off where she’d been before. Good  _ boy.   _   


At least he learnt fast, even if he didn’t like it. 

“All right. Um, these two guys came to me, offered me 500 bucks to take a cigarette break at midnight. The only reason I went along is because saying no didn't really seem like an option.”

She nodded, pushed the surveillance photos Castle had laid there before him, and tapped a finger against the glassy picture. “Are these the men?” she inquired, relieved that he offered no resistance. They were getting  _ close _ , she could feel it. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Reggie answered dismissively. 

“Did they give you their names?” she pressed.

“No. Oh, but-- uh, when they were walking away, the black guy called the other guy Ganz.” 

_ Bingo.  _

She let her lips slowly curl into a smile, glanced over her shoulder to look at Castle with a triumphant quirk of eyebrow. He huffed and averted his eyes, though, she didn’t miss the way his lips curled up as he gave her a nod before pushing himself off the wall.

That strangely sounded like a  _ good job  _ to her, and while she wasn’t trying to prove herself to him - hardly felt the need to - she couldn’t help the wild flutter that stirred in her belly at the look in his eyes when he walked past her. Something that bordered curiosity and quiet admiration. 

“Can I go now?” She heard Reggie perk up from behind her. 

She shook her head, and let Castle handle him, she had what she wanted. 

* * *

 

Castle nodded at the lieutenant as he handed him Reggie, and stormed off toward what had to be his desk. She huffed as she once again strode after him, it really needed to  _ stop.  _

“Castle, wait up,” she called out, his shoulders stiffening as he froze. The last thing she wanted was to make a scene inside his precinct, but for  _ fuck’s sake _ , if he could at least  _ listen  _ to her.    


“What, Beckett?” She furrowed her brows at the blunt,  _ tired  _ tone of voice. He didn’t even turn his back to look at her, and for some reason, the wrenching pang of remorse it triggered left her breathless. It was stupid, it shouldn’t even matter. Yet, it did. 

He sighed, and turned around. She felt his strong hand wrap around her arm, and whipped her head up at him, startled by the abrupt contact. He walked away without a word,  _ dragging  _ her across the bullpen as if  _ she _ was a child that asked too many questions -  _ what the fuck?  _

She pulled hard on her arm as she tried to keep up with his hasty pace, but he didn’t seem to care, only let her go when they reached the dim-lit staircase. 

Castle glared at her with stormy, dark blue eyes. “Look, I made a deal with my Captain. I wasn’t even supposed to bring you here - so be quiet,” he scolded with a hushed tone as he walked her into the wall. Seriously, again? 

She narrowed her eyes into thin slits at the reprimand, and stepped up, wouldn’t let him cage her up again. 

She looked straight into his eyes, their chests and noses mere inches apart as they defied each other down. “Fine,” she spat bitingly pushing a finger against his chest. “But stop manhandling me like a bully. I get it, I went too far-”

“That, you did. Beckett,” he cut her short. She clamped her mouth shut in an attempt to contain the buzzing frustration that set her nerves ablaze, before she could say anything she’d regret again. His eyes were of a heavy grey, like a charged sky threatening to burst at any moment. Mechanically chewing the inside of her cheek, she considered him. He was overreacting, and that wasn’t okay, but she would deal with that later, or not. Either way, she didn’t really care. 

She let out a deep sigh of resignation as her eyes ran over his broad chest, figured now would be as good a time as any. “I’m sorry, okay?” she complied, her teeth working at the raw flesh of her lower lips as she held his blazing gaze. “I noticed something was there, and I went for it regardless of how you would feel. It was wrong of me, and I apologize. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Castle.” 

She watched as his jaw worked, and his eyes turned a dangerously different kind of dark; subdued rage and lust coming together into a devastating whirlwind. He had her against the wall in a blink of an eye; the air rushing out of her lungs at the harsh blow. She looked at him as her chest heaved, watched as his clouded eyes danced around her face under stiff brows, as if he didn’t know what to do next, figuring it -her- out. 

Before she could say or do anything, his mouth crashed against her lips in a rough claim, tongue skimming the hard rough of her mouth, while one of his hand rested heavily on the small of her back, and the other curled around her jaw. The sudden slam of his body and the wicked moves of his tongue teared a low moan out of her as a searing heat flared up in her abdomen. Her hands came up to fist around the front of his t-shirt, her lips joining in the battle as he grunted and nipped on her lip. She groaned into him but let him have it. The hand at her back pushed her hips into him but he let go of her lips as they breathed heavily into each other’s mouths. She couldn’t help the way her mouth chased after his lips, her body and treacherous heart yearning for  _ more,  _ but he stopped her with a hand flat against her sternum, leaving her hungry mouth parted around nothing, her eyes fluttering.

“Never. Ever. Do that again,” he grumbled low in his throat as they at stared each other, his lips grazing hers as he spoke out the words. She didn’t know what he was looking for, but whatever it was, he seemed to find it there. His eyes cleared, a light sparkling blue taking over the stormy indigo as he skimmed a thumb over her bottom lip. She blinked, couldn’t bring herself to say or do anything, her whole system in shutdown as her breath caught in her throat. 

Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, he stepped back glancing at his watch. “I’m going home, I need to change. We’ve started a database searchon your guy, it should be done soon. You can stay here, but Beckett. You  _ wait  _ for me, okay? Don’t make me put a detail on you.” 

As  _ if.  _

She let out an exasperated huff, and looked at him under furrowed brows, watched him walk away as she rolled her eyes. He was so dramatic, she didn’t know how long she could put up with this. She wondered where the cocky, but  _ fun _ jackass had gone to, because she’d rather deal with him than this bullheaded, broody guy. 

The results came back approximately ten minutes later. Russell Ganz, suspected of pulling off several high profile heists during the last five years, was said to be at a poolside cabana at the East Way. She called Esposito and Ryan to ask them to dig more into him, and went back to her hotel. 

She had a plan that involved a one piece swimsuit, and  _ not  _ waiting for Castle.

She didn’t need him for this.

* * *

 

He unlocked and pushed the door of his flat open with more strength than necessary. He really didn’t mean for it to slam against the wall so loudly, but he was so frustrated, he couldn’t keep it bottled up. Kate Beckett was driving him insane, like a wildfire he couldn’t quite contain; The harder he worked to tame it, the higher the flames. She was like a soldier, determined, and proud, but she served her own interests even if it meant leaving chaos behind her. She made his blood boil with lust and rage equally so effortlessly, like stroking a match. He had never met anyone even remotely close to her; someone that challenged him in every possible way, and yet levelled him on so many aspects.

It made him stronger and weaker all at once. She was right, he had behaved like a bully. Truth was that he had no idea how to act around her, she ignited things in him that he ignored was there, and it simply was easier to get angry than acknowledging the dangerous feelings she elicited. 

“Hey, dad! Lunch break?” His head jerked up at the sound of his daughter’s voice. She wasn’t supposed to be here. He shared custody with her mother who worked as an  _ actress _ in LA, and he was pretty damn sure it was her week with her. He didn’t mind, he loved having his daughter home, even if he wasn’t here much. She always lightened up his day. 

He tossed his keys on the kitchen island, and walked to  where she was reading a book on the couch, bent to kiss the top of her head. “Morning, Pumpkin. Yeah, something like that. What’ you doing here?” he asked as he stepped away and toward his bedroom, pulling his shirt over his head. 

“No class today,” she answered matter-of-factly, raising her voice so he could hear. “Mom wanted to go shopping, I didn’t.” 

Ah, classic. He had asked for a position here in Los Angeles so she could have both her parents, but Meredith wasn’t exactly the mothering type, and her and Alexis had very little in common. Even when Meredith was supposed to have their daughter, he often found her going home to him. It made him wonder if he,  _ they _ had made the right decision.

His mother had a loft in New York, he could have asked to be assigned, and raised Alexis there, perhaps she wouldn’t have been so alone?. 

_ Holy shit _ . He could have worked with Kate Beckett. 

As interesting as it sounded, he had absolutely no time to dwell on that. He brushed the thought away as he fetched a black shirt from his dresser and put it on, quickly stepped out of his worn jeans and boxers, mindful not to forget his phone, to jump into fresh boxers and gray jeans. “All right, but I’m not staying. You’ll be on your own,” he warned as he walked out of his bedroom, running his fingers through his hair to ruffle it a bit.

“I know, I just like it here is all,” Alexis said with a shrug and a small smile as she looked up at him with vibrant blue eyes. 

He shook his head at her, his heart fluttering warmly. He loved seeing how comfortable she was here. He wasn’t home much, couldn’t be with his job. But he was lucky to have such a smart and understanding kid. He did feel guilty at times when his phone rang and they were in the middle of one of those random science projects of hers, but she had never held it against him. If anything - she looked up to him. 

He was about to ask her if she wanted something to eat when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out, and frowned at the caller ID, his stomach churning uncomfortably in anticipation, for some reason.

“Captain.”

_ “Detective Castle. That defective of yours? She took a picture of your laptop’s screen and fled without looking back.Thought you’d wanna know.”  _

_ Shit.  _

He sighed in frustration as he ran a hand down his face, scratched his stubble. Of course she hadn’t waited for him, she didn’t _care_ what he said. What had he been thinking, trusting her so blindly. Part of him had expected that, but he really had hoped she would prove him wrong. 

“Ah. Thanks, Captain.”

But apparently not. 

“ _ And, Castle. If you can’t handle her, I’m gonna have to step in, hear me? You’re the lead in this case, she crosses the line one more time, she’s out.” _

“Yes, Captain. It won’t happen again,” he affirmed, though even he didn’t believe that anymore.

He ended the call with a firm press of his finger. “I gotta go sweetie, something came up. You can stay here, but please tell your mom,” he said as he strode back to the kitchen, and grabbed his keys on the counter.

“Right, it’s not like she cares,” the girl mumbled in her book.

“Hey,” he called out as he watched her hide her face into whatever she was ready. “You know, she does,” he chided softly. He understood what made her think that, but he had made it his mission a long time ago, to make sure she knew she was loved and wanted - and she was. Her mother had just different...less conventional ways to show it. 

She nodded and hummed absent-mindedly. “Should I wait for you for dinner?” she asked, looking up at him with a gut wrenching hope sparkling vividly in her eyes like precious gems. 

He sighed mournfully, and walked back toward her to sit on the couch next to her feet. “Ah, no, honey. You know I can’t-”

She shook her head with a slow curl of her lips, that one smile she gave him any time he had to leave. He could tell she put on a brave face for him, she understood, but despised it as much as he did. “It’s okay, Dad. I get it, go. Love you.”

He wrapped a hand around her ankle, and squeezed. “Love you, too, Pumpkin. I’ll make it up to you this weekend, promise,” he vowed, winking at her before standing up, grinning at the giggle he managed to get out of her.

He  _ really  _ hated that part of his job, and god help him, he had to find Kate Beckett before she  _ killed _ someone, or worse,  _ herself _ .


	5. Chapter 5

She was nowhere to be seen. 

He was sitting at the bar with an umbrella drink he had barely spared a glance at, carefully examining the place behind his dark sunglasses - looking for a tall, chestnut haired lioness most probably stalking her prey. Though, it hadn’t been too fruitful so far.    


He couldn’t openly search the place, she obviously hadn’t come here as a cop, and he knew he would blow whatever cover she had come up with. She was reckless, undoubtedly, but she was smart, and a damn good cop. He  _ trusted  _ that, what he didn’t trust was her own ability to trust  _ him. _ Bitter flames of anger still lurked and licked at his spine, now fueled by a betrayal that stung, and made his heart pound, but he wouldn’t go around and jeopardize her case just to prove a point. 

He thought that accepting his help, she would have let him be an active part of it. Legally speaking,  _ he _ was the lead of the case. Yet, he had let her be on the front, because he had  figured that she would have gone over his head anyway. Still, he thought they would work this  _ together _ . Instead, she used him to get whatever she needed, and ran her own investigation without even consulting or warning him, like a kid running around with scissors. He felt played, and it hurt. 

That was why he didn’t do partners anymore. 

He was well aware that it wasn’t personal, had recognized the wild sparks of determination in the deep dark green that always rimmed the pupil of her otherwise golden eyes from the start. Still, she had given him the impression that they were in this together. Though, he realized now that it had turned into a fight for domination, each trying to tip the other overboard in turns. He had taken the time to cool off on the ride over, and had partly forgiven her misstep, but she kept giving him reasons to hold it against her. He wanted it to be easy, missed the playful banter they so easily fell into, the fun,  _ hot  _ theory building. But he was tired of her shutting him out when she could  _ talk  _ to him. Though, it was clear that Kate Beckett valued  _ action  _ over words.

A small, bruised part of him wanted this case closed, and for her to go back where she’d came from. Couldn’t bear any more of the mixed feelings she unknowingly ignited. He  _ wanted _ her, in a fierce, visceral way he’d never experienced before - couldn’t possibly explain how or why he  _ yearned _ to have her by his side. And yet, she frustrated him to no end, already knew so well how to push his buttons, and drive them both into the wall.

And here he had been contemplating, fantasizing about a possible  _ relationship _ ? Who was he kidding, they would be over before they even began. 

But maybe, maybe it was just who she was. Perhaps he just had to learn how to fit into this, how to break his own rules to reach her. He could tell she had issues, more than she let on, but he wasn’t exactly easy to deal with either, had his own wall that he sometimes couldn’t see past. They were two contrary winds that clashed and mingled, and unless they found a way to work together in the same direction, they’d wreck each other. 

He stroked his jaw with a sigh, silently berating himself for putting so much thought into that when she’d leave soon, and let his eyes span the whole area. She was after some Russell Ganz, that he knew as much, but he hadn’t localized either yet. 

A random noise from the pool caught his attention, and his heart stumbled over a beat at the sight he was greeted with. He watched stock-still as Kate Beckett emerged from the clear water so painfully slow, his eyes sealed on the drips that easily rolled over her skin, her wet hair, like a curtain around her face, a dazzling reminder of their impromptu encounter in the shower. His gaze followed the long, lithe line of her legs as she climbed the ladder, and skated back up her body, paying an extra attention to the sensuous beige one-piece swimsuit he would take great pleasure in peeling off her. He swallowed hard when his eyes landed on her face. If he thought the sensual ondulation of her body was alluring, the look in her eyes alone had him squeezing his hand around his glass as he swore under his breath at the familiar stir in his groin. 

She was doing it on purpose; he could tell the dark, dangerous near  _ dirty  _ look in her eyes, and the seductive sway of her hips, the way she lingered as if reveling in the glide of the warm water against her skin, was all for show. But damn him, if it wasn’t fucking working. The sun was high and blazing, merciless heated rays that burnt his bare skin - but it surely was not what had his blood boil and simmer like molten lava. Taking short, measured breaths, he followed her silhouette as she took a  _ leopard  _ cover up from a passing guy that she wrapped around her hips and sat on a deckchair, long legs on full display. It didn’t take long for some elegantly dressed guy to join her, and while he couldn’t blame the guy for falling into her wicked trap, everything in him screamed at him to just  _ go _ . Though he could see on her face it was just who she had hoped to lure in -  _ Ganz.  _

So, he forced himself to sit and watch as she tried to  _ seduce _ Ganz, using her body and smoldering gaze to keep the upper-hand. Even from here, he just  _ knew  _ her voice probably was of that silky, sultry tone that popped around strong consonants, and glided smoothly around vowels. That voice that had his blood singing, and rushing south in no time. Something fierce stirred deep down in his stomach as he watched him respond to her, something that felt incredibly like  _ mine.  _ It was stupid, he had no claim whatsoever on her, she didn’t belong to him - could never belong to anyone, really. He couldn’t even  _ keep  _ her from running away from him - probably never could. Yet, he could feel every fiber of his being rioting in a raging possessivity that had his heart pound and pump harder, his nostril flaring. He took calming breaths, eased his grasp around his drink, and tried to come up with a way to  _ help  _ her, channel his bubbling energy into anything else than punching the guy. 

His eyes darted to where Ganz had come from which had to be his own chair under a poolside cabana, and discreetly (or so, he thought) made his way to it before he could think it through. It didn’t take him long to locate the phone, though when he briefly looked up, Beckett was reaching for, and pulling on Ganz’s arm before he could turn and see him. He held his breath when their gazes met, her eyebrows knitting together at seeing him here. She squared her jaw shortly, her eyes so dark he felt them suck his soul out of him, before letting her face relax as she fell back into the act, and broke the connection as she tried to give him more time. Technically speaking, he could directly ask Ganz to come with him to the station, but he knew the guy would never comply - even with the evidence they already had. 

His fingers easily ran over the screen looking for Ganz’s recent calls, and he snapped a picture of the list with his own phone.

He stood up and skittered away just in time.

* * *

She was gonna  _ kill _ him. 

That was exactly  _ why _ she hadn’t told Castle anything, he had almost busted the whole thing. It could have  _ worked _ , but because of him, she’d been too eager and Ganz had seen through her game. She seriously hoped Castle had something,  _ anything.  _ But once again, he’d showed up and messed with  _ her  _ plan - one he hadn’t been part of. She thought she’d made that pretty clear, he apparently couldn’t read between the lines - fine, she’d show him how she felt about that.

Letting out an irritated huff, she scanned the poolside, looking for Castle through narrowed eyes, lifting a hand against her forehead to shade herself. Since she couldn’t spot him, she figured he had gone out. She walked out of the poolside, and rounded the bushes - and there he was, looking at her with an infuriating smug grin she wanted to wipe off his face - with her  _ mouth.  _

Absolutely  _ not. _

“Hey, Beckett. Enjoying the Los Angeles sun, I see?” he said quirking up an eyebrow, his tone teasing, yet clearly reprimanding, but his eyes surprisingly clear of any trace of darkness she’d seen into them all day. At least he wasn’t angry anymore, but  _ she  _ was.

She pursed her lips and glowered at him as she strode up to him, and jabbed a firm finger against his chest. 

“Ow!” he cried out, stroking a hand where she’d poked him, regarding her with a confused,  _ hurt _ look. “What was that for?” He whined and glared back. He could be such a child sometimes, she could hardly refrain her eyes from rolling at his childish tone. 

“I was trying to keep him from seeing you, and so I pushed too hard and he made me. He called me green, Castle!” She jabbed her finger against his chest once again, letting out her frustration, when he took a step back with an indignant huff. “I didn’t ask you to come for a reason. What the hell were you thinking?”

He tilted his face on the side, regarding her through narrowed eyes as he pushed her hand away. “Yes, well, I _ thought  _ we were  _ partners _ , Beckett.” He dragged out the word with a cold sarcasm she felt like a stab in her side, bit hard on the inside of her cheek to keep from showing it as she held his hard gaze. She could admit he was right, but he hadn’t been fair to her either. She crossed her arms over her chest as he went on.  “I saw where his cabana was. Figured his phone was there. I thought it was worth the risk.” He shrugged, his eyes skating up and down her frame in a perusal that aroused a light shiver along her neck.

Though, it was short-lived as an entirely different kind of shiver ran up her spine in dread.

Oh for  _ fuck’ _ s sake, he didn’t. “You took his phone?” She heard the rise in her voice before she could prevent it, the panic that ran through her overcoming her like a wave.

She saw him shake his head fiercely as he raised his hands in defence. “No! No, I took a picture of his recent call list,” he explained promptly, eyes wide and so clear, she could only stare.

Oh,  _ oh,  _ yes.

“You did? Where is it?”

He regarded her silently through slit eyes for a moment, considering her, judging whether or not it was safe. “Don't-- please don't poke me.”

She let her lips quirk up slyly as she took a step forward, and sneaked a finger in the loop of his jeans, looking up at him impishly under her lashes. “Poke you? I wanna _ kiss _ you.”

It came out as a joke, a  _ tease  _ at best. But she only now realized how bad she did want to kiss him. She caught the moment a swirl of deep indigo surged and spread in the clear cerulean blue of his eyes as they stared right into her. “Please, do,” he replied so easily, though near imploring, his hands reaching out to span her sides, and pulling her lower body into him.

Her breath caught in her chest the minute it escaped her lungs at the feeling of his hands bracing her waist - how  _ tiny _ she felt in his hands - and of the rough fabric of his jeans against her bare skin. She pushed herself up on her tiptoes, her arms flying up to curl around his neck as she tipped her chin up to fuse her mouth to his, instantly drawing his bottom lip inside and sucking on it until she heard that hoarse grunt that made her blood rush and boil. She felt one of his hands come up to curl in her wet strands of hair, slightly tugging to angle her face as he worked her mouth so excruciatingly slow, his tongue pushing past her lips. She hummed into his mouth as she straightened her hold around his neck before breaking their kiss, her lips hovering over his mouth, breathing hard.

“Hand me the phone now,’ she let out over his lips around a battered breath as she blinked and looked up to see his glazed eyes watching her intently, a little stunned. 

“Ah- Uh, yeah,” he stammered, letting go of her to fish his phone in his jeans pocket and hand it out for her. 

She took his phone to take a look at the picture, took a step back to clear her mind - get away from the distracting warmth of him. “Okay, we need to run down these numbers, see if we can trace one of them to Ganz's buyer.”

“Still mad I broke into your game, Beckett?” 

She narrowed her eyes at his witty input. “Shut up,” she said hiding her smile as she turned her back to him and walked away, knowing very well where his gaze was aimed at as she purposely gave an extra swing to her hips. 

* * *

They headed up to Santa Monica Pier after tracing Ganz’s last call, Mannis, who with the help of Esposito and Ryan had given them the time and place of the exchange; they’d taken off as soon as he’d gotten the warrant. 

As they walked around trying to blend in with the crowd, they quickly located a tattooed tough-looking guy carrying a case, a white van stationed a few feet away from them. He shot a look at Beckett who nodded, and skittered away as they worked - _ together-  _ to circle him. Castle held his weapon in position - strained before him as he strode in the guy’s direction knees bent so he could react fact if the situation turned sour. 

“LAPD, Freeze! Put the case down,” Castle shouted in the guy’s back as he momentarily froze and Castle could tell he was trying to find a way out, but that was before Beckett appeared before him her hands firmly wrapped around her glock. 

“Not a chance,” she growled darkly, and even from here, he could see the lethal emerald green in her eyes, how her arm shuddered slightly as the muscles of her taut arms tensed and twitched. 

“Put your hands behind your head,” he commanded as he walked up to the guy who caved in, and raised his arms up in the air. He grabbed both wrists and twisted them behind his back to snap the cuffs on as he watched Beckett step away toward the van. He handed the case and the guy to an officer before following Beckett.

Castle let her handle whomever was still in the van,  _ trusted _ her to call out if she needed him. But, he knew she wouldn’t. She’d been a solid, war ready rock ever since they’d left the station, hadn’t said much to him either. He opened the back of the van to find wooden boxes that he teared open, grabbed one of the crates and opened it - Bullets. “Guys, over there,” he called out. Though, when he rounded the van, Beckett had vanished. 

_ Damn it, _ Beckett.

* * *

Beckett looked around the pier, eyes narrowed against the searing sun. 

Her heart pounded so hard she could feel the low whooshing sound bouncing against her eardrums. Scanning scrupulously the place, her eyes landed on a half-smoked cigar. It didn’t take long for her to catch sight of Ganz, her hand wrapping around her gun as she followed him as quietly and discreetly as possible. She swore under her breath and leaped forward the moment he started running, a wave of panic burning up her trachea as she shouted, “Police! Stop!”

She could no longer control herself as she ran after him as fast as her legs allowed her. She saw him jump over the railing and controlled her pace to anticipate the jump. Bracing herself with her hands around the railing, Beckett hoisted herself up effortlessly using the bench and threw her legs on the other side. She let herself drop on the sand and rolled long enough for the force of the fall to dissipate, but got up quickly to chase after him as he disappeared under the pier.

He would never stop, she couldn’t risk losing him. 

She stopped dead and raised her glock, let her instinct and formation take over as her finger pressed the trigger and the bullet dashed and broke through the stuffed air, finding home in Ganz’s leg as he collapsed with a grunt. 

She dropped her arm to her side as she stepped toward him, watching.

“I knew you were a cop.”

She stood still hovering Ganz, residues of anger rushing through her veins, but remained stoic as she aimed her gun back on him. “My name is Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. Michael Royce was my friend. You shot him and you left him in an alley like a piece of garbage. Consider this poetic justice.”

“He said something about hell raining down on me. Never imagined hell would look like you.”

The hot flare of revenge snaked through her nerve endings, flames growing and ravaging everything in their path. It would be so easy to give in, end his life the same way he had carelessly ended Royce’s. Her finger twitched around the trigger, and she saw it in his eyes, fear and redemption begging her to spare him. She heard Castle’s muffled steps and shouts in the distance, a smirk creeping along her lips. 

She knew what she owed to Royce - Justice, not blood. “Russell Ganz, you're under arrest for the murder of Michael Royce.”


	6. Last chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partly M-Rated

Castle watched from afar, his back resting against his cruiser, as Beckett nodded to his Captain, smiling warmly as she shook his hand. Ganz’s partners were in a cruiser ready to take off to the station, and he had left to the hospital a few minutes ago, but Castle wasn’t ready to leave, just yet. Leave  _ her.  _ He couldn’t help the silly grin that stretched his lips when she walked up to him with a small smile, long golden waves floating behind her through the sea breeze.

“You okay?”

She took a deep intake of breath, eyes rolling to stare at the clear blue sky, before regarding him with a slight nod. “Yeah.” It came out around the breath she had been holding, her body deflating completely in relief. Her shoulders freed of the weight of injustice. 

“Come with me?” he asked offering her his hand, a wild herd of butterflies flaring up in his stomach as she wrapped her hand around his and so naturally laced their fingers. 

She gave him a closed-lipped smile as he walked them back toward the beach. “How close did you come? With Ganz?” He’d seen her flinch the moment he had found her. She’d shot him in the leg, probably just to cut his chase. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder...

“Doesn’t matter,” she sighed, shaking her head dismissively with a shrug. 

He hummed, eyes sealed on her face as she idly watched the horizon. It was odd, seeing her so still; the incredibly relaxed, wistful aura surrounding her, a striking contrast to the raging fire that had formerly exhaled from her. 

He wasn’t sure how to address this side of her, but he liked it - a lot.

He watched as she gnawed on her bottom lip, eyes narrowing as if looking for the right words. “Hey, Castle.” She tugged on his hand and put an end to their walk to get his attention, only to realize he’d been staring at her all this time. If she was in the least bit surprised, she didn’t show it. “I meant to say, I’m sorry. I haven’t been a great partner, and I haven’t been fair to you.” Something unguarded veiled her gaze as she ducked her head and averted her eyes to the ground - shunning his judgment. 

Although the downbeat tone that bleed out of her voice caused his fingers to squeeze her hand, he appreciated her honesty. Yes, she had crossed the line more than once, but he could see now that it hadn’t been a matter of choice, not in her eyes. It was that fierce, dark yet instinctive part of her that he couldn’t make sense of - like a cave he had no access to, a locked door he couldn’t find the key of. 

The least he could do was admit his own faults, if that was what they were doing - make amends,  _ part ways _ on good terms.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, too,” he said angling his face down, hoping the movement would draw her eyes back to him. “I can be a bit overbearing. I should’ve trusted you.” 

She raised her head, her eyes eagerly jumping from one of his eyes to the other as if trying to see if he meant it. “You should have. But I never meant to leave you behind, it was-”

“You couldn’t just sit and wait, I know.” He nodded, his thumb skimming lightly the soft skin of her hand, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I still think we’d make a pretty good team, given some time to adjust,” he went on casually as he looked past her at the blue length, her snorting laugh causing his smile to widen brightly. 

He did mean it, they worked well. There had been a few misunderstandings, an evident failure in communication, but other than that - together they made  _ sparks.  _ And not just in bed; they shared a mind. 

“Yeah, right. We’d bite each other’s head off,” she retorted around a small laugh, knocking her shoulder into him. He chuckled at her playfulness, though when he looked at her, she was taking a step back and freeing her hand from his to hand it out, palm open in invitation.

He frowned deeply at the removed look in her eyes, not at all the spirited one he had expected to meet. She was pulling away, physically as much as spiritually, but he didn’t buy it. 

“Have a good life, Castle,” she let out flatly as she stared at him expectantly, her face unreadable. The words stung harder than they should have, his heart recoiling deeper into the safe cove of his chest.

_ No,  _ it didn’t have to end now

* * *

 

An oppressive dread filled her lungs so fast that she felt the pang of suffocation burn and sear her thorax. It had been supposed to be fast. She didn’t want to  _ say  _ goodbye, didn’t want his eyes to linger on her with such an unattainable prospect. Instead, he was fighting it, and the summer heat that surrounded them suddenly became unbearable.

“You know, it doesn't have to be it,” his eyes searched hers carefully, yet she didn’t miss the not so well hidden hope shining in the blue depths - and she hated him for that.

Letting her arm drop to her side, she ducked her head and pushed a nonexistent strand of hair behind her ear, before meeting his eyes as she let the corner of her lips slightly stretch into a regretful smile, “Yes, it does. We both know it has to.”

Frowning, he looked deeper into her, his eyes of a vibrant but puzzled blue, and she almost shivered under the intensity of it. Didn’t understand how he was able to make her feel naked with just one look – and not only physically.

“Why?” He cocked his head at her, at lost, and she suddenly wished she could make that crease between his eyes disappear with a swipe of her thumb. 

That was exactly _why_ she had to put a stop to whatever… this was.

Gathering her strength, she stood taller, looking right back at him. “Look, I appreciate your help. Believe it or not, I wouldn't have found Royce's murderer as fast without you but-”

A cough stopped her, and she threw him a stern look . “You didn't leave me much of a choice, Beckett. You broke into that house, and not so discreetly, may I add,” he teased with a quirked eyebrow, his mouth turning into a maddening grin.

“Yeah, well-” she trailed off with a huff . “Anyway. I didn't mean for us to...” She searched for the right word, her eyes squinting but before she could even continue, he finished for her.

“Have mind-blowing sex? Make l-”

“Don't you dare,” she growled defiantly, staring him down, but he only grinned at her, beaming. 

What a jackass.

He didn’t seem intimidated by her in the least. On the contrary, he stepped dangerously close to her, so much closer that she could feel the warmth of his body. His large frame like a wall making her own treacherous body stir with want, and if she could just...no. She tried to step back, her throat suddenly dry, but she couldn’t. She could only watch as he tipped and lowered his face, bringing his mouth as close as he could without touching her lips. She wanted to grip him by the collar and yank his mouth to her before he could open his mouth again, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.

“I'd say… maybe we could debrief each other one last time,” he whispered against her lips, a hand slowly trailing down her arm, teasing the hem of her shirt before slipping under it and skimming over her stomach and along her lower back, making her arch and moan before she could try to prevent it.

He moved his mouth to her neck, her head rolling to the side for him in response. How he'd learnt what and how she liked it so fast, she had no idea.

“Though, I know we both have a job to get back to,” he dragged his lips down the column of her throat, his hand at her back making himself known once again as he yanked her hard against him, their hips colliding not without drawing long moans from them both. “What do you think?”

His question came out as a mumble as he seemed not to be able to detach himself from her, and that was all it took. She framed his face with her hands and forced her mouth against him, blatantly taking what she needed before retreating. They stared at each other with matching wild look, her chest heaving erratically at the arousal singing in her veins. 

“Lead the way.”

She had almost forgotten they were out there on the beach.

* * *

 

**M RATED**

They crossed the threshold in a whirlwind of clothes and moans. 

Both gripped each other fiercely, bold hands grasping, pulling, and grabbing in a frenzy. Beckett pinned Castle against her hotel room’s door sucking his lower lip inside her mouth as he grunted and skimmed his rough hands along her bare sides. She felt his thumb sneak under the rim of her jeans, teasing the soft skin there. She bit on his lip in response, bluntly dropping her hands to free the button of her jeans and tear the zipper down. Her heart thrummed hard in the desperate cove of her chest, the yearning to have their bare skins flushed together overbalancing her want to take the time to revel in their connection. 

He must feel her inner turmoil, or wish for a change of pace because he let go of her mouth, and batted her hands away. She felt the heavy lump of arousal and anticipation ripple in her throat as she swallowed at the hungry, feral look in his eyes. For a moment, all he did was watch - her heart lurching almost painfully at his silent perusal. Nimble fingers padded their way up her arm, rousing immediate goosebumps in their wake as her whole being shivered at the delicate path they drew. His fingers traced the rounded bone of her shoulder more insistently, and crept up her neck to nestle in her hair, cupping her skull. Her breath caught when his dark eyes, which had been following his own fingers, reached her face. She could only stare as the blown pupils drowned the deep indigo - sucking her in. 

It was wrong. 

What  _ they _ were doing was totally, and irrevocably wrong. She should have just left him right then. She knew better than letting feelings get in the way, hadn’t allowed herself any of that before now. For reasons that were now out of reach and obsolete. She wanted him in a dangerous way that opened the door for something she couldn’t face. Yet, she couldn’t will herself to put a premature end to it - the sheer desire pooling hot and heavy in her stomach, blurring the boundaries. 

The hand nudging her own brought her back to the moment as she blinked. Castle laced their fingers together, a small smile etched to his lips as he brought his laughing mouth to her ear. 

“Come on.” The missing octave in his tone roused a raging fire in the pit of her abdomen, wicked flames licking up her spine as he pulled on her arm.

She followed him to the bedroom with a stupid grin teasing her lips and a giddy skip in her steps. 

* * *

He didn’t bother closing the door of the bedroom behind them, drawing Beckett’s pliant, and willing body into him instead, as his arm circled her torso to unclasp her bra. He let the fabric fall at their feet, his eyes riveted on the shy curl of her rosy lips. He let a thumb skim over the plump flesh, before replacing it with his own mouth while he stepped backward and sat at the foot of the bed. She reflexively straddled his waist as she chased after his lips with a reverence he’d have never expected from her, the strokes of her tongue no longer teasing, and urgent - but deep, and firm. He groaned at the jolt of  _ affection  _ that shocked his heart, the already compromised muscle squeezing almost painfully. The hoarse sound that she then drew out of him had nothing to do with her tongue, but rather with her restlessly rolling hips over his growing arousal. 

Realizing she still had her jeans on, he gently pushed her away and glanced between her, and her lower body. “Time to get these off,” he offered with a quirked eyebrow to which her lips curled slyly as she pushed them down and discarded them away. 

His eyes roamed over her taut legs, remembering how perfectly they fit around his waist, and skated up to that dark thong she’d put on right after their shower. What he hadn’t anticipated was the violent surge to have her strong thighs around his face one more time that he felt pulse painfully in his groin. Pushing his jeans and boxers down, he squatted further up on the bed, stretching out a hand. “Come?”

“I hope so,” she countered smartly as she stalked toward him, and  _ mounted  _ him. He grinned at her clever wit,  _ loved  _ that about her. Banding an arm around her, he drummed his fingers along her spine as she rested her hands on his shoulders and wriggled in his lap. He dipped his head, and ran his tongue over the tender skin of her neck, marking her there. She moaned something he couldn’t quite decipher, but tipped her head to give him more skin to play with, one of her hands buried into his hair and pushing him further into her. He nipped at the thin skin, purposely leaving angry, red imprints as he drew a path down, and felt her offer herself up to him as she pushed herself further up. He smiled around the slope of her breast at the way she showed him what she wanted, before laving his tongue over her tight nipple, sucking it into his mouth as the hand in her back brought her closer. 

“ _ Yes _ , Castle.” The way his name smoothly hurtled down her lips urged him on as her fingers curled in his hair into fists. He let go of her breast with a sinfully wet noise, fingers drawing tight circles around, and pinching the one he had neglected as he watched her blazing gaze met his eyes, the overwhelming intimacy of looking into her eyes as he made her writhe sending his hips up into her pelvis - twin groans colliding in the otherwise still air.

She forced her own hips down in response whilst bringing a hand down, her nails grazing the skin of his stomach. His muscle jumped fiercely and contracted so hard that his breath stuttered. Her bold, hungry gaze unashamedly held his own as her warm hand wrapped around the base of his shaft and loosely glided up to close encase his head, before twisting down just as smoothly. He heard his own grunt escape his lips as he tried to keep his eyes open on her, couldn’t miss the wanton thrill that flashed through her eyes as her hand kept sliding up and down with occasional twists of her wrist.

“Like that?” It was rhetorical, at least he thought it was. Still, he hummed since he couldn’t express himself otherwise as her fingers worked to set his body in fire. “Want more?” she asked innocently, her voice so velvety and wet that he almost came right then. But,  _ no,  _ that’s not what he wanted, not what he needed. 

He shook his head, and joined her hand on his cock, uncurling her fingers away. “No.”

“No?” He laughed at the confusion drawn all over her face, couldn’t help but press a quick kiss to her shoulder for it. He knew she meant well, hell, he would gladly allow her if they had more time.

But he needed more. 

“No,” he repeated slowly but resolutely, bringing his mouth to her ear as he dragged a finger along her thong, teasing the tight nub that hid under and yearned to be touched, and was rewarded by a choking sound and sharp nails into the skin of his shoulders. “I want to remember you,” he went on as he pushed the drenched fabric on the side, want coiling hard and hot into his stomach at how wet she was - for  _ him. _ He let his fingers trail up and down her folds, her mewls making him bite into the skin behind her ear. She startled around a grunt, her hips twisting around so much that his thigh was coated in her arousal. “I want to remember how you sound when you come hard around my mouth,” he let out more bluntly, his finger teasing her entrance as her eyes slammed closed - the oral stimulation combined to his ministrations seeming to overwhelm her senses all at once.

“Oh my god,  _ Please. _ ” The breathless plea made him groan as he left her center and let himself drop backward, taking her with him. He urged her further up, with two hands cupping her ass, kneading the flesh, as she crawled up until her dripping center was aligned with his mouth. 

He didn’t wait longer to push her down on him, greedy mouth wide open and ready to feast.

* * *

 

She wasn’t gonna survive this.

Toe-curling waves of electricity hit and submerged her with every touch and curl of Castle’s tongue until all she could do to avoid choking him with her sex was to hang on tight on the headboard, her fingers blanching around the dark wood at the death grip. She had no idea what he was doing down there, he was everywhere at once. She could never pinpoint exactly what he was  _ doing, _ but she never wanted him to stop. Rapidly, she gave up trying to muffle the keening noise that he teared out of her so easily as his tongue teased a path around her clit, or plunged  _ deep _ into her, sipping and lapping her fluids from the source as it wept at the stimulation. He built her up so hard and fast that she could feel her muscles twitch and clench as she openly grinded herself on his mouth. He sent her over the edge with a sharp cry the moment he moaned,  _ long,  _ against her - the vibration resonating throughout her body as if he was everywhere inside her. He didn’t relent the assault in any way, only tempered it down as she rode the waves - his tongue flat against her.

Once most of the climax subsided, leaving her body shaking in the aftermath, she rolled aside letting out a loud breath, licked her lips as she stared at the ceiling. “Fuck, I’m gonna miss this.” Her eyes widened at her own admission, and woah she absolutely couldn’t say -  _ think -  _ that. But, she would, as much as she hated it, she would miss _ this _ ,  _ them. _ “Ugh, I-”

“Yeah?” She heard from beside her, his voice bright, yet disbelieving _.  _ She turned her head, her teeth trapping her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing at him as he lay on his side, head in his hand - looking at her as if he hadn’t just ravaged her.

She mirrored his position and glanced down at the duvet between them, messy brown waves tumbling down around her face as she weighed her options, her fingers drawing random patterns against the slick cover. She could be honest, tell him that  _ yes _ , she would. She could avoid the flutter in her chest all she wanted, she knew it was about more than  _ sex,  _ could be. She could ignore it, and leave now. Or- 

Her lips spread into a musing, light smile as resolution set strong in her chest, her heart breaking free from its chains - just for now, just for him here and now. “Come here,” she beckoned to him as she shifted on her back and glanced at him as she spread her knees, his eyes clear and staring straight into her  _ soul.  _ “Give me more reasons to.”

His gaze turned serious once again, a dark shadow casting the light out. She thought he almost looked mournful for a moment, and wondered if his own inner conflict matched her own, but he recovered fast and quickly positioned himself between her legs, raised and wrapped them around his midsection. His hand came in between them to grab himself as they stared into each other’s eyes, showing her that he  _ understood _ \- knew what she wanted. 

The head of his cock nudged her entrance and she nodded. He pushed in so excruciatingly slowly that she could feel every bump and edge of his skin, and drew back just as slowly, shooting delicious sparks throughout her abdomen. He was making it last, neither would reach their climax any time soon at such a slow pace, but strangely, she didn’t mind. She’d never been a sweet and slow kind of girl, had never felt comfortable with, had very rarely  _ trusted  _ anyone enough to indulge that. Slow meant things that hard and fast did not, it asked of you to show more of yourself - in all your vulnerability and glory. 

While she couldn’t explain it, with him, it felt right. 

His lips mirrored the pace he had set with his hips as he balanced himself forward and claimed her mouth languidly and leisurely, both tasting, and discovering each other in a whole new way. Her heart pounded and beat erratically but firmly as she hummed in the slow dance they embraced, her nails undoubtedly drawing a red path along his skin as she gripped his back and ground herself on him as hard as she could. Sensing her growing urgency, he started thrusting more deeply into her, and broke the kiss as he stared deeply into her; her blood boiling fast, and the rush of such an intimate connection consuming her so intensely that she was surprised to feel herself edging to climax faster than she’d expected. He let out forceful puffs of air into her open mouth, visibly not unaffected himself as he brought a hand between them to press a finger against, and rub her nub, driving his cock into her with shorter, harsher thrusts. 

The pressure burst and crashed over her like a long, slow burn, her body freezing as her arms tightened their hold around him and pulled him down, her head lolling backward around a silent scream. She pulled him deeper into her, her curled feet pushing into his ass as she felt his release fill her, her tight muscles pulsing, and squeezing him as he grunted and moaned. 

He bowed over her at last, his forehead dropping to the duvet next to her head, keeping himself inside as long as he could - when his body gave way. “I’ll miss you, too, Beckett.” 

Her heart broke, the harsh confirmation like a blunt blow to the chest.

It was never part of the plan.

* * *

 

Kate Beckett let her eyes roam over the pitch black void outside her window, the view curiously reminiscent of the darkness she felt inside. Even though she had taken a shower shortly after he had left, he was everywhere, still - the brutal mix of the ghost of his touch and his smell digging a gaping hole in her chest where her heart should be.

She must have left it there, with him. 

He must have teared it out of her chest and kept it when he’d given her a last, soft kiss before retreating to her door without looking back, shoulders hunched. 

They had both exposed their hearts in ways that had been foolish and dangerous, and totally  _ un _ expected. It didn’t help that she was to blame. She had dived into something that hadn’t been in the least bit necessary to her case, had let herself get distracted and dragged into deep waters, and had drowned them both in the process.

She felt stupid to feel so strongly when they had barely spent two days together, most of those spent not even talking to each other. But there had been something there, even then. 

Something that had made her feel  _ alive, _ for once. Yet, it was the way it was. She had to go back home, and he had his own there. She’d put up a front, build a brand new wall and forget it. Hopefully, it’d be enough. 

But now as she read Royce’s letter again, two words echoed around her - haunting her. 

_ If only.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! But, I'll be working on a sequel.  
> Thanks for the kudos, folks!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so this is already on FF, but I wanted to put it there, too. Since FF has been acting dumb lately!


End file.
